Life lessons she taught Gen Z from self-acceptance to the power of granny pants

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.

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.

Noor: Bridget Jones’s obsession with Daniel Cleaver was my life in my 20s. I was chasing after bad boys and addicted to the drama, so it was completely relatable. My friends and I were in endless casual relationships – and that’s very Bridget too. Her dating life was the definition of the situationship, before that was even a thing. But what I really like is how she (eventually) realises she deserves better. She teaches us you can find a Mr Darcy who loves you “just as you are” – even if he does wear reindeer jumpers and fold his pants before bed.

Yasmin: Bridget has given us the ultimate guide to getting over a heartbreak: lying on the sofa wearing old pyjamas and eating ice cream out of the tub while you sob to All By Myself. Unlike the Bridget of the early films, today’s 20-somethings aren’t incessantly checking for answerphone messages but we are guilty of a bit of post-breakup stalking. Even if the tech isn’t the same, early Bridget’s neurotic tendencies can still teach us that obsessing over someone is rarely worth it.

Sophie G: Bridget isn’t a perfect character, and that’s OK. You should be loved for who you are and not try to change yourself to fit in with what society thinks you should be – but learning to accept that is a hard task.

Hannah: At first, Bridget is the epitome of a woman who thinks she needs a man to survive but by the end of the first film, she teaches us to value nice, respectful guys and not to tolerate people who cheat (though, admittedly, they shouldn’t have made Daniel Cleaver so hot!).

She also teaches us how to work at a relationship, that love is a choice as well as a feeling, and how to be vulnerable and have boundaries at the same time.

Sophie T: It comes back to not needing to change yourself in a society that pressurises us constantly to be skinnier, taller, to read more books and be the best at hobbies. Having a character with self-acceptance is so important when we are constantly being pressured to change ourselves.

Yasmin: I love that Bridget embraces her chaotic energy and that really appeals to Gen Z. If she was a woman in her 20s now, she’d definitely have fallen madly in love with the concept of brat summer – instead of Chaka Khan, she’d be blaring out Charli XCX’s 365 through her headphones on her morning commute.

Noor: Wear the big knickers. Eating the entire contents of your fridge is OK sometimes. And don’t be defeated by a bad hair day!

Yasmin: Bridget is by no means perfect – her calorie counting obsession feels dated and other characters branding a woman who weighs 60kg fat is jarring. Body positivity may be more celebrated now – in fact, some women would love “a bottom the size of two bowling balls” – but being self-conscious about your appearance is a universal feeling that transcends decades.

One thing I will say is that it’s hard to feel too sorry for Bridget when she owns her own flat in central London, has a successful publishing and journalism career and doesn’t seem to worry about the price of a round of drinks at the pub – it all feels a little less realistic now.

Noor: You could definitely argue the earlier books and films haven’t aged well. First of all, there’s a noticeable lack of diversity, and way too many sexist jokes. Then you chuck in all that obsessing over being single, and Bridget’s fretting over her calorie intake.

Much of that feels out of place in the context of the progress we’ve made now, but that’s not to say it no longer has relevance: one of my friends is considering Ozempic and others still worry about why they’ve not met their dream partner as they swipe through Tinder and Bumble.

Sophie G: I think if Bridget was created now, some of those more “problematic” elements of her character might be changed but that would be a shame, as it’s part of her charm.

We all say and do things we kick ourselves for later. And most of Bridget’s more problematic moments are the result of pressures women are subjected to in our society. The way Bridget acts feels more realistic than some characters who are the perfect feminist who deals with everything in the best way.

Noor: I don’t think I could’ve got through the numerous crises of my 20s without having a close group of female friends around me, as Bridget does. Nowadays, there are probably fewer Friday pub trips after work, and more meeting up for yoga and spin, but the overall message is the same: choose your friends wisely as they’re the ones who will be there when everything else goes wrong.

Sophie T: That friendship will always be there through the ups and downs of romantic life: to laugh at the failures and be there to comfort you when you need it. Bridget’s interactions with her friends are the same as mine. We’re always catching up over a meal and drink to moan about life – though there’s a little less smoking these days.

Yasmin: Find yourself friends that will eat your blue celery soup! Instead of going for drinks at a fancy London bar and getting a black cab home, we often split a bottle of cheap Tesco wine at one of our crammed and crumbly flats. But really, it doesn’t matter what you’re doing, it’s just about having a supportive group of friends who can tell you when it’s time to ditch your toxic Daniel Cleaver-esque situationship.

Sophie T: Whenever I’m in a work situation where I’m meeting new people, I genuinely always picture the scene from the film where Bridget’s trying to introduce people to each other with a fact about the other person and messes it up.

The iconic scene when she tells her boss Daniel she’s quitting has also always stuck with me. During times when I’ve had to deal with sexism in my career and have battled it head on, I’d like to imagine R-E-S-P-E-C-T was playing in the background.

Noor: Don’t send emails before proof reading, don’t try and use language you don’t understand. Oh, and don’t sleep with your boss.

Sophie G: It’s okay to try something new and put yourself out there, regardless of your age or where you think you should be in your career at a certain point. Bridget’s fear of public speaking has definitely resonated with me in the past, but knowing I’ll never have to present in front of Hugh Grant, Colin Firth and Salmon Rushdie is a comforting thought.

Hannah: To be ambitious and aspirational. A successful career is important to a sense of purpose. You can make mistakes and work through them and you can make bold decisions and take risks.

Answers have been edited for length and clarity