Kristin Davis Recalls Body Shaming by Sex and the City Costume Designer

Davis, who portrayed Charlotte York for six seasons, explained that Field struggled to dress her because she did not fit the desired straight-lined aesthetic. The actress noted that she felt pressured to diet during the production, at times subsisting primarily on M&M’s to achieve a thinner frame. According to Davis, the tension only began to subside once her character’s storyline evolved into her marriage to Harry Goldenblatt, played by Evan Handler, forcing the designer to accept her natural, curvier build.

This experience was part of a broader struggle with body image that Davis has faced throughout her career. She previously shared that during her time on Melrose Place and later on Sex and the City, she often felt marginalized by the industry’s preference for stick-thin performers. Beyond the costume department, Davis faced public scrutiny regarding her appearance, including tabloid labels and even uncomfortable encounters with strangers. While she has since reached a more stable place in her self-acceptance, the actress continues to speak openly about the intense pressure she felt to conform to impossible beauty standards during her rise to fame.