Issa Rae Says This 'Sex and the City Storyline' Made Her Realize 'I Have a Story to Tell Too'

For the 25th anniversary of the HBO series, the actress and writer shared with PEOPLE how 'SATC' influenced her and her own series, 'Insecure'

For the 25th anniversary of Sex and the City’s premiere, PEOPLE spoke with female and LGBTQ+ actors, directors and writers about how the show affected them, impacted the industry and continues to influence pop culture. These are their firsthand accounts.

Issa Rae, 38, star and creator of HBO’s Insecure

I was a little too young to watch Sex and the City when it first aired, so I watched it in college. The summer of junior year, my girls would come over and we would watch it faithfully. That summer was magical, specifically, because of Sex and the City. We assigned ourselves, of course, who we each were. There were three of us, so they assigned me Miranda and Samantha hybrid. I feel like I'm a Carrie girl, for sure, now in my adulthood.

Related: 'Sex and the City' Cast: Where Are They Now?

The episode where Miranda is dating a Black guy [stands out] for good and bad reasons. She was dating Blair Underwood. That episode was crazy. That was one that kind of took us out of this, like, "OK, we're watching white Sex and the City." This is a very specific perspective. But watching it just makes you want to tell your own version. That was the power of it, realizing like, "Oh, I have a story to tell too, and it is a little bit different." I love watching this and accept it for what it is, but also want to eventually tell my own story.

For more on Sex and the City’s 25th anniversary, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday, or subscribe here.

I went to New York immediately after college. I wanted to have the Carrie lifestyle. I sought out the restaurants and the clubs that were long gone. I had a rude awakening because I was really, really broke. As someone who cheated later on with my own show [with what characters could afford], I'm forgiving.

Related: Issa Rae on the 'Insecure' Series Finale: It's 'a Journey of Growth'

In the Insecure writer's room, Sex and the City would always come up, mostly because Natasha [Rothwell] was our Sex and the City police and be like, ‘Ah, Sex and the City already did that. Or, ‘They touched on that already.’ And I'd be like, ‘Damn, what didn't they cover? Or how do we cover it differently?’ They were, for sure, a blueprint. I appreciate it for paving the way for me and so many other female creators, gay male creators.

I like to remember Sex and the City as this love story between four women and their exploits. It was the first show that I had ever seen that really showcased women's sexual habits explicitly. It influenced me wholeheartedly to be a bit more raw in my representation of my friends and women. They grew from season 1 to season 6 with each other and through the movies — I've just acknowledged the first one — but it was so inspirational in that way. It made you want to have that. It's a cultural staple.

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Sex and the City and Insecure can both be streamed in full on Max.

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