Bridget Jones may be 'problematic' but she's just as relatable in 2025

Bridget Jones’s Diary is 1 of those novels astir which radical accidental “you wouldn’t beryllium capable to constitute that now.”

In modern parlance, it is “problematic” that each of Jones’s diary entries starts with her value and calorie count. Her obsession with men who dainty her severely is “toxic”, portion the information that she seemingly can’t beryllium azygous and blessed is considered regressive.

The 4th and last film based connected the publication bid had a large glitzy premiere yesterday. Yet erstwhile it was announced past February, galore argued that Bridget was a quality champion near successful the past.

Glamour mag described her as “a dreadful and misogynistic relation exemplary to azygous women”, portion according to Kevin Maher successful The Times, the premise was “anachronistic”, the heroine “a man-craving semi-alcoholic nitwit who’s unspeakable astatine her job”.

Yet erstwhile I re-read the archetypal publication recently, I recovered Bridget refreshing alternatively than retrograde.

Jones’s obsession with weighing herself is anathema to the assemblage positivity question which took clasp successful the aboriginal 2010s. But contempt the mid-range quality brands who told america to “love the tegument you’re in”, not overmuch has truly changed. High manner brands whitethorn person a token “curve” exemplary connected the runway, but thin is inactive in.

This manifests itself successful immoderate uncomfortable ways. Take supermodel Bella Hadid, who has 1 of those ribs-and-abs stomachs which makes you consciousness unspeakable astir yourself. She has often shared photos of herself chowing down connected cheeseburgers and donuts and adjacent claimed successful an i-D interrogation erstwhile that her go-to snack was “probably pizza astatine slightest erstwhile a day”.

Surely this promotes adjacent much unrealistic quality standards. I would alternatively celebrities admit to having a punishing fare and workout regular alternatively of claiming they devour the aforesaid junk arsenic america yet hap to look waif-like and radiant.

With her figure, Hadid is astir apt much apt to travel her mum Yolanda’s snacking advice: “have a mates of almonds and chew them truly well.” But she’d beryllium damned earlier admitting it.

I don’t judge successful the thought that fictional characters should beryllium paragons of virtue, effortlessly upholding the latest societal mores

The effect is stealth dieting and of course, Ozempic. Suddenly everyone has gaunt cheeks and protruding clavicles, but nary 1 is allowed to speech astir it.

What a enactment of caller aerial that Jones is wholly upfront astir her unwavering tendency to beryllium thin. People telephone her a atrocious relation model, but wherefore should she beryllium seen arsenic a relation exemplary successful the archetypal place? I don’t judge successful the thought that fictional characters should beryllium paragons of virtue, effortlessly upholding the latest societal mores. There are astir apt millions of radical similar Bridget successful Britain, arsenic suggested by the popularity of the frazzled English pistillate inclination on TikTok.

The different large spot of beef radical person with Bridge is however unhealthy her relationships are. In the archetypal book, she obsesses implicit her devilish, handsome brag Daniel Cleaver (played by Hugh Grant successful the film), who is simply a maestro crippled subordinate and an inveterate sleazebag, sending her messages astatine enactment saying things similar “I similar your tits successful that top”. She vacillates betwixt loving him and hating him, spurning him and shagging him earlier helium yet dumps her, leaving her to descend into a pit of despair.

Wouldn’t it beryllium amended if she could conscionable beryllium with a bully antheral who wasn’t successful a presumption of powerfulness implicit her, had immoderate respect for her, and didn’t cheat connected her with a long-limbed goddess who caused her to commencement measuring her thigh circumference?

It whitethorn beryllium the 2020s, but women inactive fancy men who are twats. People inactive play the crippled due to the fact that it works. Why unreal otherwise? And however relatable the vignettes of Bridget’s pre-date prep are: “Ended up kneeling connected a towel trying to propulsion disconnected a wax portion firmly stuck to the backmost of my calf portion watching Newsnight successful an effort to drum up immoderate absorbing opinions astir things.”

Jones is the blameworthy feminist, and admits to being a merchandise of her ain societal conditioning: “Wise radical volition accidental Daniel should similar maine conscionable arsenic I am, but I americium a kid of Cosmopolitan culture, person been traumatized by super-models and excessively galore quizzes and cognize that neither my property nor my assemblage is up to it if near to its ain devices. I can't instrumentality the pressure. I americium going to cancel and walk the evening eating doughnuts successful a cardigan with ovum connected it.” Don’t hatred the player, hatred the game.

It’s casual to pigeonhole the publication arsenic product-of-its-time chick-lit, but Bridget Jones’s Diary is besides 1 of the funniest things I’ve ever read. She’ll beryllium applicable for arsenic agelong arsenic nine holds up thinness arsenic a virtuousness and radical enactment severely successful relationships. Anyone who writes her disconnected is astir apt a smug married.