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Why Moms Are Loving Charlotte's ‘and Just Like That’ Monologue

The prim and proper, do-it-all working mom gives an unflinchingly honest speech about the invisible labor moms everywhere are expected to take on day in and day out.
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By Wyndi Kappes, Assistant Editor
Published August 25, 2023
Kristin Davis at the New York Pemiere of "And Just Like That..." A New Chapter of Sex and The City held at MoMA on December 8, 2021 in New York City
Image: Bryan Bedder/Variety/Penske Media | Getty Images

People may disagree on whether Sex and The City reboot And Just Like That is a stroke of brilliance or a tired remake, but everyone can agree that Charlotte’s season finale monologue speaks the truth of moms everywhere.

After a season spent running around breaking her back to excel at her job and be the perfect mom, the typically prim and proper Charlotte snaps, delivering an unflinching speech on the invisible labor women everywhere are expected to do day in and day out.

“I can’t talk loud, so please just listen,” a hungover Charlotte begins after her husband Harry complains about not being able to balance work and family duties. “You are not doing it all. I know because you made a few breakfasts and you ran a few errands that it feels like you are, but in fact, you are doing the bare minimum of what I, and other women, have been asked—no, expected—to do around the house for years and years and years,” she powerfully says.

“And now I’m asking—no, I’m expecting you—to help me with part of it. Not all of it, because I love my work and I’m good at it. I want to keep doing what I’m doing—minus the blackout drinking—so I need your help and your support, not your words of help and support.”

Moms across social media quickly sounded off in the comments of And Just Like That’s post featuring Charlotte’s empowering speech captioned “A round of applause, please, for the Charlottes of the world.”

“I felt that speech IN MY SOUL,” commented one user, “Even more powerful that she’s not yelling,” added another, “And I love Harry too—don’t get me wrong—but I was yelling at the screen YAAAS, CHARLOTTE, YAAAASSS.” Many echoed the sentiment that Charlotte was finally stepping into her power and acknowledged her powerful character evolution.

This isn’t the first time that invisible labor has made headlines. In 2021, a petition was circulated asking for moms to get paid monthly for all the work and tasks they take on behind the scenes and in 2019, a powerful exhibit highlighted moms’ long struggle with invisible labor. Learn how to prepare yourself for the invisible business of being a mom and how to communicate with your partner when you need help here.

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