25 shows that will make you happy to be single this summer

Sex and the City

A list about shows celebrating single ladies wouldn’t be complete without this iconic show. Debuting in 1998, SATC was among the first shows to feature single women in a frank, and often raunchy, conversation about their experiences as unattached women.

They make being single look glamorous at times, as they sip their fancy martinis and buy impractically expensive shoes. They rely on the support system of their friends to make it through the hard times. Anyone who’s gone through a tough breakup, had a significant other disappoint them, or had to make some tough decisions about their romantic situation knows how important it is to rely on the people in your clique to prop you up.

Although the series saw these women go through countless relationships, the constant was always their friendship. Being single isn’t so tough when you have a group of awesome ladies to make you laugh over brunch.

Destigmatizing the idea of being single, the show never shied away from treating them as whole people. Yes, the women seemed to be in constant pursuit of relationships. But the show was careful to validate them as individuals on their own. The men in their lives acted as mere parts of the sum of their whole.

There’s a reason this show still resonates with women 20 years after it’s release. It created (and continues to do so) a sisterhood among us girls that are decidedly unattached living life on our own.

Where to watch: If you’ve somehow missed this show, and you’re a single lady, my heart goes out to you. You can watch it in its unedited glory on HBOGo or the HBO extension featured on Hulu.