Charlotte York Goldenblatt (formerly York MacDougal) is a main character on the HBO series, Sex and the City. She also is a main character in the two subsequent films, Sex and the City and Sex and the City 2. She appears again in the 2021 revival series, And Just Like That....
Sex and the City[]
Early Life[]
Charlotte is from a traditional blue-blooded, wealthy family in Connecticut and attended Smith College where she graduated with a degree in Art History and a minor in Finance. She was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority (note: there are no sororities at the real Smith College). As Smith College is in Massachusetts, it is likely she moved there for college and then to New York City for work upon graduating.
It has been hinted at throughout the series, particularly in the first and second seasons, that she is the newest close friend of the group (for example being unaware of Miranda's long-term relationship two years prior to the start date of the series). However, in SATC2 it is confirmed that she met Carrie in 1987, only, at the most, a year before Samantha and Miranda. The pair met on the subway at 2.30am when a drunk, homeless man flashed them. Charlotte appeared very preppy in the 1980's,
Later Years[]
Coming from a wealthy family, Charlotte appeared very preppy in the 1980's and 1990's as she spends the first three seasons, trying to find the perfect man who checks off all of her boxes in the earlier part of the series. As the series progresses, she lowers her standards and decides to go out
Charlotte was a respected art dealer and once dreamed of owning her own gallery but gave up her career shortly after marrying her first husband, Trey MacDougal. However, she divorced him upon irreconcilable differences and received his Park Avenue apartment as her divorce settlement. She eventually remarried her seemingly less-than-perfect, but good hearted divorce lawyer, Harry Goldenblatt, after converting to Judaism. In the series finale, Charlotte and Harry adopt a baby girl from China. In the first movie, Charlotte falls pregnant after years of accepting she wouldn't. She had previously suffered a miscarriage before adopting Lily, she was so scared during her pregnancy, until she gave birth to a little girl named Rose. In SATC2 Charlotte seems to be a stay-at-home mom.
Sex and the City Films[]
Main articles: Sex and the City (film), Sex and the City 2
At the conclusion of the TV series in 2004, Charlotte adopts a daughter, Lily Goldenblatt, and is perfectly happy in New York with Harry. Later in the first movie, Charlotte finds out she is pregnant, and gives birth to a baby girl, Rose. The final scenes of the movie show Harry and Charlotte with their 2 daughters.
And Just Like That...[]
Season 1[]
Charlotte and Harry live happily in New York into their 50s with their two daughters in the revival series, And Just Like That.... Charlotte starts to form a new friendship with another mom, Lisa Todd Wexley. She's also a proud mom of her daughters, Lily who is a talented pianist and Rock.
Season 2[]
Charlotte gets upset when Lily sells her expensive designer clothing to buy an electric keyboard. However, as time goes on, Charlotte eventually comes to accept and understand Lily's maturing and evolving interests.
Charlotte also assists her husband, Harry, in dealing with his weakened pelvic floor muscles, which have impacted his sexual performance.
In addition, Charlotte's career takes a significant turn when she receives a standing job offer from Mark Kasabian, a prominent art gallery owner. This opportunity presents Charlotte with a new path and potential for personal growth. She takes it and warns her family that things will change- she won't be there as often for them. They initially seem relieved, at least her daughters do, that she will be out of the house and their business. However, when they need something and expect Charlotte to come running they seem disappointed that she no longer will. Charlotte tells Harry he needs to start pulling his weight and he agrees.
Physical Appearance[]
Charlotte is sweetly pretty and a smartly attractive woman in her 30s. She is of average height and a slim yet curvy and toned physique. Her dark brown hair varies in style, often worn wavy or straight, and fluctuates in length from a bob to medium throughout the series. Known for her girly, flashy, and glamorous fashion sense, Charlotte often enhances her appearance with discreet makeup. She stands taller than Carrie but shorter than Miranda and Samantha. Despite her insecurities about her thighs, Charlotte has toned thighs and legs, showcasing her fitness.
In "And Just Like That...", Charlotte, now in her 50s, continues to dye her hair to maintain its original dark brown color. She opts for a less flashy, yet still glamorous and upscale wardrobe, adapting her style to reflect her maturity.
Personality[]
Coming from a wealthy family, Charlotte appeared very preppy in the 1980's and 1990's as she spends the first three seasons, trying to find the perfect man who checks off all of her boxes in the earlier part of the series, but lowers her standards later in the series. She happens to be a hopeless romantic, and has had a couple of relationships, and despite the innocent appearance she is also promiscuous, more than Carrie, not as much as Miranda and Samantha.
Family[]
Goldenblatt[]
- Harry Goldenblatt (husband)
- Lily Goldenblatt (daughter)
- Rose Goldenblatt (daughter)
- Judith Goldenblatt (mother-in-law; deceased)
- Harold Goldenblatt (father-in-law)
MacDougal[]
- Dr. Trey MacDougal (ex-husband)
- Bunny MacDougal (ex-mother-in-law)
- Patty MacDougal (ex-sister-in-law)
- Charles MacDougal (ex-brother-in-law)
York[]
- Wesley York (brother)
- Lesley York (ex-sister-in-law)
- Sandra Whitehead "Muffin" York (mother)
- Stephen Foster York (father)
Relationships[]
Trey MacDougal[]
Trey MacDougal is a heart surgeon from an upper-crust family with an overbearing mother who comes to rival Charlotte. Trey and Charlotte meet after Charlotte, having had a horrible date, is nearly hit by the taxi in which he is riding. Trey steps outside of the taxi to help her out, and it is implied that they fall in "love at first sight." Charlotte feels that Trey is the ideal boyfriend and husband-candidate. After months of dating, Charlotte becomes anxious to receive his proposal. Frustrated with waiting, Charlotte suggests (while at a restaurant) that they should get married, to which Trey casually responds, "All righty." Charlotte is furious at this response, because it was not what she had imagined. Later, Trey makes up for it by stopping in front of a Tiffany & Co. store during a walk and suggesting that they look for "the most beautiful (engagement) ring they have." They decide not to have sex until they are married, but on the day before their wedding, Charlotte gets drunk and visits Trey's apartment to have sex. This is the first time Trey is shown as unable to perform, implying that he may be impotent. Charlotte addresses her concern to Carrie before she walks down the aisle, but is comforted by Carrie and so the marriage between Trey and Charlotte takes place. As a married couple, the two struggle with the lack of sexual activity and their different opinions about having children (as well as arguments centering around his overbearing and domineering mother, Bunny). This ultimately leads to their divorce....
Harry Goldenblatt[]
Harry Goldenblatt is Charlotte's divorce lawyer. Although Charlotte is initially repulsed by Harry's constant sweating and somewhat odd appearance and behavior, she ends up sleeping with him when Harry confesses his attraction to her. She tries to keep their relationship strictly about sex but, soon after, she gets attached. Charlotte converts to Judaism to appease Harry's requirement that he can only marry a fellow Jew, but soon ends up ruining the relationship in a fit of anger by telling him that she's embarrassed to be seen in public with him because he is conventionally unattractive. After several weeks of bad blind dates, Charlotte bumps into Harry at the local synagogue singles' night and admits her wrongs, professing her deep love for him. Harry is touched and proposes to Charlotte on the spot. Harry and Charlotte marry in a traditional Jewish ceremony. They explore their options of having children, with Charlotte at one point becoming pregnant followed (shortly) by a miscarriage, which emotionally devastates her. Finally, in the series finale, they are approved to adopt a girl from China named Lily.
Quotes[]
- "I've been dating since I was 15. I'm exhausted! Where is he?"
Trivia[]
- Charlotte is one of the few characters originally depicted in Candace Bushnell's "Sex and the City" newspaper column. She is described as "Charlotte, the English journalist" in her mid-thirties, with no last name given. Friends with Bushnell and Carrie, she has a very small part in the stories. Unlike her portrayal in the series, where she craves romance and plays by "the rules," this version of Charlotte is uninterested in settling down and turns down a man who wants to move beyond casual sex to chatting. Most of her original lines in the column were ultimately given to Miranda in the pilot episode.