Four is just the right number for a group of friends. You can fit at one table in a restaurant without someone having to pull up an extra chair and sit at one end, like a toddler.
You can chat comfortably in a group, or as two couples. And there’s no Odd Girl Out, as can happen in a group of three or five.
With only two friends, there can be the Alpha/Beta dynamic going on. Someone is the Lucy and the other, the Ethel. The Betty and the Veronica. The Electro Woman and the Dyna Girl.
The Four Girl Ensemble just works, and has since Little Women. The roles are generally outlined, but still flexible.
There’s the soft, feminine Girly-Girl; the snarky, smart one; the sexy one; and the Team Mom/narrator. This trope been used over and over in books, movies and television shows. Think about it: Sex and the City, Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret, Twilight, Designing Women, Firefly, Living Single, and Friends, if you count Chandler.
Sex and the City has defined this best for Gen X’ers, like me. When the show was on the air I saw t-shirts for sale that said “I’m a Charlotte”. You could still probably pick up a shirt that says “I’m a Miranda”. Because nobody wants to be a Miranda.
I have a group of four close girlfriends. We live scattered across the country and try to get together once a year for a girls’ weekend. We’ve had the “which Sex and the City character are you” discussion even though only one of us has really watched the series.
I don’t have HBO, but I was working in accounting when the show was popular. All the single young women talked about SATC enough to where I caught the gist. I remember when Samantha caught the gist in season two. Thank goodness penicillin cleared that right up.
I have seen Sex and the City reruns, but they were edited to run on basic cable. This means episodes are eight minutes long and mostly about shoes.
With my girlfriends, I tried to claim Charlotte status, but there were already two Charlottes. My buddies assured me I’m totally a Carrie. I guess that’s okay. As long as I’m not a Miranda. Because– say it with me–nobody wants to be a Miranda. 
Now that my girlfriends and I are all middle aged, we are sliding from Sex and the City into more of a Golden Girls territory. We are talking less about Cosmos and more about our pending empty nests. We still talk about ess-ee-ecks, but it’s with our husbands on alternate Wednesdays. I catch myself looking a comfortable shoes and duster vests at Chico’s.
If you think about it, SATC to GG is the natural progression for those characters. For the first season of The Golden Girls, Rue McClanahan was a year younger than Kim Cattrall is during the first Sex and the City movie. Ponder that for a minute. Then cancel that appointment for a short and sassy shag haircut.
The bad news is the Carrie of The Golden Girls is Sophia, and that role doesn’t really fit me, although I am a wisecracking dame.
Nope, I was contemplating my friends and our places in the Golden Girls universe, when it hit me.
I’m The Dorothy.
I think I’d rather be the Miranda.
Who are you? I’m a Jo/Rachel/Carrie/Dorothy. I don’t think they make that t-shirt on Café Press.
She was spunky and no nonsense. Nothing wrong with being the Dorothy. Also, your group of friends is amazing. Love ’em!
I’m just afraid of the pantsuits. I have pantsuitaphobia.
I do have good friends. My ladies are good people!
Samantha caught the gist. LOVE. IT!
(Not the gist. The joke.)
I just can’t handle being Sophia, though. Even though I am the oldest. Really? Am I the Sophia??? I just don’t feel THAT ancient.
Dorothy is down to earth, and larger than life, and I might have to make you scoochie on over a bit, and share the Dorothy role, because I feel so dang fed up, and ready to call them like I see them..
I WILL be the Sophia. I feel that. But not yet. I haven’t forgotten that much of my life yet.
I might be Meg, since she was oldest and quite proper, but I just don’t feel that uptight. (Growing up, I always identified with Jo and Beth: I was somehow both bold, and timid.) I might be Charlottey. I’m kind of Monica-ish.
We are our own entity, though, and each of us plays an evolving role: and, I like that we’re all still growing, and still changing.
I don’t think you have to be The Sophia just because you are older than me. That actress was younger than Betty White!
You can be a Dorothy/Rose/Sophia mash-up. But we all know who’s the Blanche.
Oh lord I snorted!!!
Says the Blanche.
I might have a fair amount of Rose, come to think of it.
I bet Rose wouldn’t say eff-ay-ar-tee either.
Oh geez, I think I am a combo of all of the above. Back in the day when Living Single was on, people swore I was Regine, Kim Fields’ character. Gosh, all of my life I have been compared to Kim Fields. People say we favor. Anyway, right now, my Blanche Devereaux swag is major. I’m definitely Blanche and Samantha rolled into one. Great post!
I always thought Regine was the most fun, Danyelle. And she had the best clothes. I miss Kim Fields! She’s always Tootie in my heart.
I think I’m probably a Khadijah. Coincidentally, Queen Latifah and I were born on exactly the same day.
“…caught the gist…” har!! good ‘un.
You are SO the Dorothy, with better hair and more kindness. I remember Dorothy being kind of mean-spirited and I never ever hear that from you. Ever. *hug*
I’m an odd combo of Charlotte, from SATC and Phoebe (from Friends) with some Rose on the side.
funny side note: I thought you meant Dorothy from Wizard of Oz before I read the post. 😉
The Wizard of Oz!
Dorothy is the Charlotte, Glinda the Good Witch is the Carrie, the Wicked Witch of the West if the Miranda, and Toto is the Samantha.
LOVED THIS! Too many good one liners to pick a fave! Although now I’m a little self-conscious about my new shag hairdo, so thanks for that.
Nobody wants to be the Miranda! Why is that? She’s smart, she’s pretty, oh wait…is it because of her poor bushwhacking skills? Clearly I didn’t watch enough of the show to know the real reason. I don’t know which GG I am because I never watched that either, but I’m definitely Jo and Chandler and perhaps a little Velma from Scooby Doo too. (Fred and Shaggy don’t really count as dudes, do they?)
You are young and thin. You can rock a cute, short cut. I’m fat and forty. Around then it turns into an “oh-my-gahd-I-give-up” look.
Miranda is a whiner. And she had the least cute clothes, the worst job and just didn’t seem to have fun like the others.
And look at the picture. I think she’s wearing black suede Crocs.
I don’t know what I am. **sigh**
You are very sweet. You’d be the Beth, except modern medicine would cure you.
Oh, you’re too kind. It’s just the voice….it’s very deceiving. ;o)
I think Beth could get up to some hijinks.
I’m Rose. But only because I’m Norwegian and from Minnesota, yah.
Rose has an edge to her I always liked. She played dumb, but she could be a sharp little cookie, don’t cha know.
Ya sure you betcha.
I am, and always will be, Phoebe. AKA Dr. Regina Phalangie
Without Phoebe, that show would have been unwatchable.
Love. It.
I love y’all’s pic in front of the theater. Each of you is already a celeb to me. 😉
LOL! I look like a celebrity right now in my yoga pants and Star Wars t-shirt.
So funny!!! Thanks for making me laugh.
I have had the GC conversation with my friends before, and they decided I’m the Blanche. I’m really, really not sure what that says about me, but it was more that none of them fit her at all. I guess I ended up as the “loose woman” by default. 😉
Hi Anne!
I like your writing style! Visiting from SITS today–I like your sassy little one liners, and can totally relate to being the Geisha of Rednecks (I don’t think I’ve made it up to geisha satus quite yet, however…)