10 things Sex And The City taught me

As a self-proclaimed Sex And The City addict, Fabulous’ Eimear O’Hagan shares the lessons she’s learnt from the ladies...

1)He's Just Not That Into You

A hot date and a cheeky snog before you get your taxi home so why hasn't he called?

Pre-SATC, I could have written a book of theories on why my phone was irritatingly silent after a date. He's gay. He's lost my number. He's trapped in a nuclear bunker. Post-SATC and the penny has dropped for me and women all around the world. He's. Just. Not. That. Into. You.

Like Carrie's boyfriend Jack Berger explained to Miranda as she wondered why yet another suitor had gone AWOL, if a guy's into you, he's booking the next date.

2)Don't Judge A Book By Its Cover

Like Charlotte, I had a checklist my future husband had to fulfil. Good job, good-looking and bucks in

Trey proved too good to be true

the bank. She thought she'd found her shining knight in Dr Trey MacDougal. But his perfect exterior hid a cargo hold full of emotional baggage. As Charlotte's dreams were crushed, I wondered whether it was time to lower my standards just a little bit.

3)Fashion Fixes All

To the detriment of my bank balance, my antidote to a bad day is to channel my inner Carrie and hit the shops whether I've just been paid or not. Nothing makes me happier than arms laden with carrier bags stuffed with the latest fashions and heels, all destined for my already bulging wardrobe.

Sadly, like Carrie, my gorgeous shoe collection is much more impressive than my ISA balance. But to hell with being sensible. I've yet to have a problem a spot of good old retail therapy couldn't cure!

4)Who Wants A Perfect Boyfriend Anyway?

Tall, rugged, impossibly kind and good with his hands, Carrie's fiancé Aidan Shaw was, in a word, perfect. Too damn perfect in fact.

Like most girls I love a bit of a challenge when it comes to men. After all, it adds a bit of drama to the whole situation and it keeps you on your toes. So what's the fun in being with someone who's annoyingly flawless, even if they are drop-dead gorgeous?

Who can blame Carrie for running back (in her sky-high Manolos no doubt), to Big despite all his faults. Not me!

5)'Single' Is Not A Dirty Word

The SATC girls made single cool, even when it hurt like hell. No smug-married dinner parties. No cosy (boring) nights with a guy you're only vaguely interested in. No saving for a joint deposit when you could be buying shoes.

Although always on the lookout for true love, the girls embraced single life and trod all over the spinster stigma with their designer stilettos.

6)You're Never Too Old For Good Sex

Before SATC, nooky and the over-40s was a taboo subject. Exiled to the sexual wilderness, women

Wat-er way to go, Sam!

'of a certain age' were told they should be browsing a Lakeland catalogue rather than an Agent Provocateur brochure.

Then along came Samantha Jones. With a penchant for toyboys (among other things), she gave us hope that turning 4-0 doesn't mean no more "Oh Oh Ohs"!

7)Vibrate And Be Proud

Miranda had a special bedside drawer for hers, Samantha had enough to stock a sex shop, and even the normally prudish Charlotte went 'rampant' when she was introduced to the infamous 'Rabbit'.

I've lost count of the Ann Summers parties I've been invited to, full of friends splashing out on the latest orgasm-inducing gizmos without even batting an eyelid. SATC well and truly took the shame out of sex toys, and sales have rocketed as women follow the girls' lead and indulge in some solo bedroom antics.

It's time to stock up on those batteries, ladies!

8)No One Likes A Cheat

My love for Mr Big runs so deep, I totally understood why Carrie couldn't resist the lure of having an affair with him.

Was Carrie's affair a Big mistake?

All thoughts of her innocent, doe-eyed Aidan, and any guilt about Big's wife Natasha, were cast to one side as they enjoyed secret romps.

"But they're meant to be," I argued with friends who all seemed to frown upon Carrie's cheating.

Reality hit home when Natasha found Carrie in the marital apartment and Big's relationship ended soon after.

Carrie's guilt at the heartbreak she'd caused made me realise no good can come of an affair - even if it is with the delectable Mr Big.

9)Bridezillas Beware

I've had my wedding planned down to the rose-petal confetti since I was five. And I scoffed at Carrie in Sex And The City: The Movie when she insisted she wanted a "simple" wedding. "Yeah right," I sniggered.

Carrie was all dressed up with nowhere to go after she got jilted

Sure enough, it wasn't long before her inner bridezilla was unleashed and running riot around Manhattan. I cheered as she booked the New York Public Library for the nuptials, envied her Vivienne Westwood gown and wept as Big got scared off by her overblown plans and jilted her on the big day.

Note to self: When planning a wedding, make sure you don't forget the groom!

10)Forget The Fairy Tale

The course of true love never runs smoothly, and boy did the SATC girls learn that lesson.

I felt their pain as each of their hearts were broken. Charlotte's by Trey's refusal to adopt when they couldn't conceive, Miranda's by Steve's one-night stand, Carrie's by Big's jilting, and Samantha's by Richard's inability to stay faithful.

Carrie said it best in the first SATC movie, when she was reading Cinderella to Charlotte's daughter Lily and commented: "You know that's just a fairy tale, right? Things don't always work out like that in real life."