In 1998, when “Sex and the City” first aired, Sarah Jessica Parker revealed she wasn’t prepared for the intense public scrutiny of her looks.

During a recent interview, she shared that the experience of facing opinions about her appearance was often unpleasant. “That was really hard at times when people had opinions—not about my work, but about me personally,” she explained.

While she occasionally grew frustrated with misunderstandings about her character, Carrie Bradshaw, it was the personal judgments that left a deeper impact. She noted, “I thought I was fairly confident, but it gets tested when you’re exposed and opened up.”

Despite the emotional toll, Parker noted that these experiences contributed to her growth, saying, “We’re better for having gone through them, but not everyone handles it immediately.”

She pointed out that the hurt often stemmed from comments about things unchangeable or innate. “The hardest comments were about my face and body—things I wouldn’t and couldn’t change, even after hearing them,” she added.

Regarding specific hurtful remarks, Parker shared that one painful critique, which she refused to repeat, made her “sobbing because it felt so purposeful.” She described how such comments made her question why they were made at all and whether critics would say such things face-to-face.

The actress, who has been married since 1997 and is a mother of three, emphasized that public opinion on social media has significantly shifted how such judgments are made. Still, she wonders about the humanity behind harsh comments and whether people would share those same sentiments directly.