In the ’90s, “Sex and the City” tackled sexism. Now, “And Just Like That” is addressing aging, quite literally, head on.
In a much-discussed development from HBO Max’s revival, Cynthia Nixon’s Miranda has swapped her signature red hair for a short silver bob — to the utter shock of pal Charlotte (Kristin Davis).
“She wanted to embrace her gray … to say, ‘This is who I am. Deal with it; it makes me no less than a woman,” the show’s hair department head, Nakoya Yancey, told Page Six Style, adding that Miranda’s decision to skip the dye sends a powerful message: “My red hair is gone, but I’m still that fiery redhead.”
Yancey credited series creator and writer Michael Patrick King with the decision to celebrate salt-and-pepper strands onscreen.
“I love the way [King] wanted to spotlight that because we all get older. [These characters] aren’t in their 30s anymore!” Yancey said. “You can’t help but embrace it — it’s there, it’s obvious.”
Unfortunately, some on social media haven’t exactly welcomed the cast’s physical changes with open arms; Sarah Jessica Parker and Davis have both spoken out about the ageist and misogynistic comments they’ve received about their “And Just Like That” appearances.
“I feel like those people are unrealistic. Everybody ages,” Yancey said of the “offensive” and “superficial” feedback. “You’re gonna [go] gray; that’s just the reality of it.”
“And Just Like That” looks different from “Sex and the City” in other ways, too, with a more diverse cast that includes Nicole Ari Parker, Sarita Choudhury and Karen Pittman.
Yancey worked closely with the “very hands-on” King to create each new character’s look — like the slightly asymmetrical bob seen on Parker’s Lisa Todd Wexley, the fourth style the duo considered for the Park Avenue documentarian and hedge funder’s wife.
“His vision for Nicole was for her to be Vogue’s best dressed, be chic, be a trendsetter and just be breathtaking,” the hair pro shared. “Everyone wants to know what she’s wearing, who does her hair. [She’s] a sought-after, stunning black woman, upper echelon.”
Choudhury’s “posh” Seema Patel sports a ‘do that’s similarly high maintenance. “She’s a million-dollar realtor; she does not have time to do her own hair, and she goes to Drybar to get her hair done every day,” Yancey said. “She is flawless — her hair, her clothes, her bags, her shoes, her nails.”
The buzzword for Pittman’s Dr. Nya Wallace, by contrast, was “effortless.”
“[King] wanted to make sure that we showed natural hair — showed a black woman wearing her natural hair and being very comfortable in it and doing a multitude of styles,” Yancey said, adding that versatile braids were a “no-brainer” for the Brooklyn-dwelling law professor.
Ultimately (and despite the odd critic), the stylist said she’s grateful to help write the next chapter of “Sex and the City.”
“I’m just thankful and blessed that I was given the opportunity to work on such an iconic show that I have watched for many, many years and still do watch as reruns,” Yancey said. “I’m a die-hard fan.”
New episodes of “And Just Like That” drop every Thursday on HBO Max.
