Granny pants and situationships: Lessons Bridget Jones taught me in my 20s
Your 20s are a whirlwind of bad dates, career crises, and wondering if you'll ever really get your life together.
Enter Bridget Jones, the queen of chaotic charm, who has been stumbling through life lessons since before many of us can remember.
Despite the original Bridget Jones's Diary book being released in 1996 and the film in 2001, it seems the floundering and flawed heroine has captivated the hearts of Gen Z, who weren't born when Helen Fielding's novel was first published.
Fielding says she finds it "comforting" that women in their 20s have a real interest in Bridget’s trials and tribulations. At her book signings, she says "half the audience are Gen Zs".
From navigating embarrassing work mishaps to realising that self love (and maybe an extra glass of Chardonnay) is the key to happiness, Bridget has been there, done that, and lived to tell the tale.
Ahead of the release of the new film Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy next week, we've been speaking to three women in their 20s about the life lessons the character taught them: Sophie Gwillym from Cardiff, 28, Hannah Booth in Chester, 25, and 27-year-old Sophie Tyler from Yorkshire.
And then there's us - Yasmin and Noor - both fans of the franchise who have a lot to say about it.
https://denamhonvietsub.univer.se/
https://the4rascalsvietsub.univer.se/
https://form.dragnsurvey.com/survey/r/d6606e42
https://cccv.to/denamhonvietsubhd
https://cccv.to/the4rascalsfullhdvietsub
https://portaly.cc/the4rascalsvietsub
https://portaly.cc/nuhonbactyvietsub
https://paa.ge/nuhonbactyvietsubhd/en
https://pastelink.net/2js0i62v
https://paiza.io/projects/wOg7ZwsJqD9LdJIQTnN9Dg?language=php
https://www.pastery.net/wdjsvw/
https://friendpaste.com/6NCXlpqizkIajRsHsXZrSM
Yasmin: In the summer before high school, I stole a tattered copy of Bridget Jones's Diary from my parents' bookshelf and read it all in one night hidden under my duvet. To me, it was a bible for adult life, which, being on the edge of puberty and going into year seven, felt like a total must-read. Almost all of it went over my head at that age but one thing stuck with me: Bridget Jones felt like a real woman who, unlike other perfect heroines that featured in many stories that were actually aimed at children, was flawed and nuanced.
Noor: I was at school and I remember my English teacher talking about one of the films. She was refusing to go see it, as she felt the whole premise was completely unrealistic ("As if such a beautiful, competent woman would be struggling to find love"). But my older sister was going, so I tagged along and it was love at first sight plus I'll admit I fancied Hugh Grant just a bit.
Sophie T: My best friend and I watched the first film at a sleepover when we were about 14. I think, on reflection, the scene where Bridget sleeps with Hugh Grant’s character, Daniel Cleaver, for the first time probably wasn't appropriate for us... I do remember thinking she shouldn't have worn the big knickers (but I would've had no idea why), and we giggled through all the adult bits.
