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Opinion by Leher Kala
The older Jones captured the angst and insecurities women of a definite property carried. Like however this charmingly imperfect anti-star who would instrumentality disconnected her ticker earlier stepping connected her weighing machine, fervently praying it would assistance
Weight, excessively overmuch of it, remains a quality preoccupation. In my opinion, men interest astir it too, conscionable marginally little than women. (Photo: Pixabay)
Nov 29, 2024 05:00 IST First published on: Nov 29, 2024 astatine 05:00 IST
So overmuch has changed since Bridget Jones’s Diary came out. It was a thought universally acknowledged that a vocation pistillate successful her 30s would beryllium successful dire request of a hubby and a baby, successful that circumstantial order. At least, that was the premise of Bridget Jones’s Diary, astir a hapless and adorably plump heroine whose misadventures with atrocious boyfriends, hangovers and failed diets elicited galore a laugh. The 2001 romanticist drama based connected Helen Fielding’s eponymous 1998 publication was an instant deed due to the fact that who doesn’t place with a gloriously messy bungler whose repeated attempts to hole things extremity up making situations infinitely worse? Bridget Jones’s Diary was a movie of its time. It came astir aft the thriving rom-com epoch of When Harry Met Sally (1989) and Sleepless successful Seattle (1993), feel-good cinema that willfully ignored brutal realities and kept its regard firmly narrow, connected escapist happily-ever-afters. Those of america young and hopeful then, suffused with rose-tinted dreams, were conscionable discovering that the people of existent emotion doesn’t tally smooth. The sequels, though not arsenic bully arsenic the first, mirrored the shifting taste discourse and the changing dynamics betwixt men and women.
In the 2nd Bridget Jones movie, The Edge of Reason (2004), the ditsy (and inactive chubby) quality had moved connected from reluctant singleton to making the not-so-startling find that nabbing Mr Right isn’t each it’s cracked up to be. Fast guardant 20 years later, the last installment, Mad About The Boy is each acceptable for a February release. Judging by the trailer, our heroine is middle-aged and a widow, a parent to 2 young children, inactive looking for love, and whew, inactive conscionable astir winging it. We thin to deliberation that thing ever changes but 1 lone needs to rewatch a precocious ‘90s deed to spot however antithetic the satellite really is. Rapacious and vacant societal media feeds didn’t beryllium erstwhile the archetypal Bridget Jones premiered. The relentless sickness of examination hadn’t taken over, so, that’s 1 large positive for the aboriginal 2000s.
Most of the different changes clip has wrought, however, are overwhelmingly positive; the mode azygous women were socially positioned, arsenic “tragic barren spinsters” astatine the ripe aged property of 35, has, convey goodness, diminished. Till then, the aerial of desperation that clung to Miss Havisham seemed to envelope 30-something women but arsenic each the assorted Jones films implicit the years person shown, erstwhile women person their ain apartments, cars and friends, they don’t person to besides person a imperishable antheral to bask life. Dating apps person been enormously liberating. The old-fashioned constituent of presumption is that the surfeit of choices disposable suits men much than women — existent lone due to the fact that men thin to beryllium little picky — but that presumes that each women are seeking semipermanent relationships successful the archetypal place. The ticking biologic timepiece is nary longer the contented it was. The enactment of freezing eggs, utilizing sperm donors, and the acceptance of azygous parenthood means women nary longer request to settle. The older Bridget Jones captured the angst and insecurities women of a definite property carried; and immoderate remain. Like however this charmingly imperfect anti-star who would instrumentality disconnected her ticker earlier stepping connected her weighing machine, fervently praying it would help. People responded instinctively; there’s thing comforting astir knowing that irrespective of wherever connected the globe we are, our aspirations and challenges are amazingly the same.
Weight, excessively overmuch of it, remains a quality preoccupation. In my opinion, men interest astir it too, conscionable marginally little than women. For women though, the unit to beryllium cleanable is hard to shingle off. Instagram reinforces that we request to look similar idiosyncratic consecutive retired of a magazine. Bridget Jones was the archetypal to admit however hard it is to aspire to stylish thinness and past to person to philosophically marque bid with our bodies. The assemblage positivity question station 2015 came astir arsenic a absorption to unrealistic quality standards, questioning the cautiously filtered images of perfection we clasp ourselves up to. Way earlier that, the Jones movies poked amusive astatine our aims and conveyed it’s alright to conscionable beryllium human, canter along, and preferably, laughter astir each the maudlin worldly that goes incorrect on the way. We whitethorn beryllium definite Mad About The Boy tackles today’s issues, online dating, azygous parenting, Botox, juggling work-leisure balance, the ever present, frustrating spread betwixt what we privation and what we really get.
The writer is director, Hutkay Films
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