Carrie Bradshaw's Cigarette Philosophy Is Aspirational

Imagine that.

Image via HBO Max.

There is little inspiration to be found in Carrie Bradshaw, especially for women who write for a living and also make terrible choices with men. Though I’m sure there are facets of her personality that resonate with some, most of her shit is gross to me—except for her very clear-cut rules around smoking cigarettes, a nasty little habit that she just won’t give up.

When Seema asks Carrie if she can smoke a cigarette in her apartment, Carrie says no, and then clearly explains her philosophy around this habit, which is by far the most sensible thing about this character to date. As a smoker who really enjoys a habit that is by all accounts disgusting, Carrie understands the necessity of boundaries. Cigarettes are not to be enjoyed in the home, because allowing yourself that pleasure opens the floodgates for cigarettes everywhere—on the way to the train, on the way home from the train, in the bathtub, or in the kitchen as you cook one single egg to serve over rice to stave off a hunger-induced panic attack. The smell of cigarettes permeates; it stays on the hands, in your hair, and on your clothes, and serves as a constant reminder of something terrible for you that you love, but shouldn’t. Hence her solution: a cigarette outfit for her one-cigarette walk around the block.

The outfit itself is insane for Carrie but, I don’t know, normal, for others? A dress she doesn’t care about, covered in a sweatshirt she also doesn’t care about, with a scarf around her head and, crucially, rubber gloves. This armor ensures that the smell of her forbidden lover does not carry over into her home life, and also maybe communicates broadly to the rest of the public that she’d like to be left alone. Addiction is a nasty little thing, so reframing it as a pleasure rather than an obligation makes more sense than I’d realized.

Though this is spiritually similar to Gwyneth Paltrow’s storied one American Spirit a week, it is executed with the sort of panache that I’d expect from Carrie Bradshaw. Trotting around the West Village dressed like someone’s whimsical idea of a bag lady is not for everyone, but the idea behind the action makes a little bit of sense to me. This is the most logical thing Carrie’s ever done. And just like that… she earned my respect.