Finally! A Monument To Bridget Jones’s Frazzled English Woman Style

Around this time of year, I usually embark on a kind of extended Richard Curtis-cinematic-universe rewatch: Notting Hill, Love Actually, and of course, Bridget Jones. And while the old “sad Bridget” discourse has been retired – replaced by the knowledge that owning a flat in London Bridge, a secure job in the media, and having two floppy-haired men fight over you is actually a huge flex in this day and age – the hapless heroine’s legacy still looms large for anyone who has ever committed their romantic travails to the page. (Though in 2025 it’s more likely to be a Substack than a Smythson.)

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As someone who occasionally dabbles in frazzled English woman cosplay, I will be paying my respects to London’s new (and bizarre) Bridget-shaped monument on a future lunch break. Perhaps with an offering of Milk Tray and a pack of Silk Cut, in tribute to Bridget’s less-than-sensible skirts and semi-sheer blouses and altogether aspirational lifestyle. Following the sea change in opinions around “tragic spinsterhood”, Gen Z-ers – starved of community and genuine connection – now fantasise about spending smoky evenings at Café Rouge, quaffing bottles of chardonnay with our urban families.

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Neil Mockford

Renée Zellweger has spent more than two decades fooling audiences into forgetting that she is, in fact, far from frazzled (or English). In reality, the former British Vogue cover star is more Louboutin than layered knits. True to from, Renée arrived at the Leicester Square statue unveiling looking far removed from her fictional counterpart, opting for sleek tailoring with nary a frumpy floral in sight. Joined by author Helen Fielding, as well as her Mad About the Boy co-stars Sally Phillips, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Leo Woodall, she proved that the spirit of Bridget lives on – if not in Zellweger’s undeniably sleek red-carpet wardrobe, then in London’s new statue.