Let’s be honest for a second. When you think about Sex and the City, your mind probably goes straight to the cosmopolitan marathons, the sky-high Manolos, and the endless brunch post-mortems. But if you’re a real fan—the kind who remembers the specific shade of a post-it note—you know the real heavy hitters weren't just the core four.
Enter Candice Bergen.
When Bergen stepped onto the screen as Enid Frick, she didn’t just play a character; she dropped a localized weather system of ice and sharp tailoring into Carrie’s life. Playing the high-powered editor of Vogue, Bergen gave us a masterclass in the "diva of publishing" trope years before Meryl Streep ever threw a coat onto a desk in The Devil Wears Prada.
But here’s the thing about candice bergen sex and the city moments: they weren't just about fashion. They were about the terrifying reality of what happens when the party ends and you’re still standing.
The Cold, Hard Truth of Enid Frick
Enid Frick was basically the final boss of Carrie Bradshaw’s professional life.
She first appeared in Season 4, Episode 17, "A Vogue Idea," and immediately made it clear that Carrie’s "sex and shoes" brand of journalism wasn't going to fly in the hallowed halls of Vogue without a fight. Bergen played Enid with this incredible, brittle armor. She was the woman who had sacrificed everything for the masthead, and she had exactly zero patience for Carrie's whimsical "I couldn't help but wonder" routine.
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Remember the scene where she takes a red pen to Carrie’s copy? It’s brutal. It’s painful. It’s also exactly what Carrie needed.
"Ms. Bradshaw, what you've handed us here is essentially your newspaper column with the word 'style' jammed in where the word 'sex' used to be."
Ouch. Honestly, Bergen’s delivery of that line is why she’s an Emmy-winning legend. She didn't play Enid as a villain, though. She played her as a mirror. She was the future Carrie was both striving for and deeply afraid of—a successful, independent woman who was, quite frankly, a little bit lonely and a lot bit tired of the games.
Why the "Wading Pool" Speech Still Hits Different
If you want to talk about the impact of candice bergen sex and the city history, you have to talk about the "wading pool."
In Season 6, everything gets messy. Carrie is dating the "Russian" (Aleksandr Petrovsky), and Enid—who is lonely and looking for a peer—expresses interest in him. When she realizes Carrie is the one he’s actually with, the mask slips.
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It’s one of the most vulnerable moments in the entire series. Enid explains the "dating pool" for women of a certain age, and it’s not a pretty picture. She talks about how the men her age are looking for "the 25-year-olds," leaving women like her with... well, "hobbits."
It was a rare moment where the show stopped being a fantasy and started being a documentary. Bergen’s performance here is spectacular because she manages to be entitled, jealous, and heartbreakingly relatable all at once. She wasn't just mad that Carrie was dating Aleksandr; she was mad that the world didn't seem to have space for a woman who was "too much" of everything.
The Full Circle Moment: And Just Like That
Fast forward a couple of decades. The world changed, but Enid Frick mostly stayed the same—just with a better newsletter.
When Bergen reprised her role in the second season of the revival, And Just Like That, it felt like a gift to the OG fans. Seeing her back on screen, now running a digital publication called Vivant, proved that Enid didn't just survive the death of print; she conquered the transition.
The dynamic had shifted, too. Carrie was no longer the scrappy freelancer. She was a wealthy widow with a best-selling book. But Enid? She still had that bite. She still knew how to make Carrie feel like a junior assistant.
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One of the funniest, most "Bergen" moments in the revival involves an accidental photo of Enid’s boyfriend’s... anatomy. It leads to a $100,000 "donation" from Carrie to Enid’s new venture. It’s chaotic, it’s slightly cringe, and it’s perfectly Enid. She knows her worth, and she knows how to get paid.
What We Can Learn From the Enid Frick Era
- Mentorship isn't always nice. Sometimes the person who pushes you the hardest—the one who makes you cry in the Vogue accessories closet—is the one who actually respects your talent enough to demand more.
- The "pool" is what you make it. Enid’s bitterness about dating was real, but her career was her own creation. She reminds us that being a "diva" is often just a code word for a woman who refuses to be ignored.
- Aging is a power move. Bergen, who is now in her late 70s, brings a gravitas to the screen that you just can't fake. She shows that you don't have to "soften" as you get older. You can stay sharp.
The Real-Life Vogue Connection
Here is a wild bit of trivia that makes the candice bergen sex and the city legacy even cooler: In 2025, it was announced that Chloe Malle—Candice Bergen’s actual daughter—was taking on a major leadership role at Vogue as a successor to the legendary Anna Wintour.
Talk about life imitating art. Bergen played the "Anna Wintour" figure so convincingly that her own daughter ended up running the actual magazine. It adds a whole new layer of "boss energy" to Enid’s scenes when you watch them back today.
Final Thoughts on the Enid Effect
Candice Bergen’s time on the show was relatively brief—only a handful of episodes and a cameo in the first movie—but her shadow is long. She provided the friction that the series needed to keep it grounded. Without Enid, Carrie’s professional life would have been too easy. We needed someone to tell Carrie that "shoes" isn't a personality trait.
If you’re looking to channel some of that Enid Frick energy in your own life, here’s the blueprint:
- Demand Excellence: Don't apologize for having high standards. If the "copy" of your life is messy, get out the red pen.
- Acknowledge the Struggle: It’s okay to admit that the "dating pool" is shallow. Acknowledging the truth doesn't make you weak; it makes you prepared.
- Invest in Yourself: Whether it’s starting a newsletter or demanding a $100k investment, never stop building your own empire.
Next time you're rewatching the series, pay closer attention to those Vogue office scenes. Look past the racks of couture and focus on the woman behind the desk. She’s the one who really knew how the world worked.
To dive deeper into the fashion of the era, you might want to look into Patricia Field’s costume archives, which often used Enid’s wardrobe to contrast Carrie’s "eclectic" style with high-powered "Old Money" New York. Or, check out the latest updates on the And Just Like That production to see if the "Diva of Publishing" will be making another appearance in the upcoming season.