Londoners are greeting a new landmark: a statue of Bridget jones, teh beloved fictional singleton, has been unveiled in Leicester Square. The bronze sculpture, depicting the character struggling with her coat buttons, commemorates the enduring cultural impact of Helen Fielding‘s creation and the film adaptations starring Renée Zellweger.
The statue’s arrival marks a moment of lighthearted recognition for a character who has resonated with generations, reflecting anxieties and aspirations around love, career, and self-acceptance. Fielding, alongside Zellweger, attended the unveiling, acknowledging the statue’s potentially temporary nature while celebrating Bridget’s lasting significance in British culture.The installation arrives ahead of the release of the latest Bridget Jones film.
Fielding observed a stark socio-economic contrast between present-day northern England and her experiences with Comic Relief four decades prior, stating, “I feel like I’m back in east Africa in the 80s: kids with no shoes, families without food.The north-south divide in Britain is much bigger than in most westernised countries.”
As crowds dispersed following the unveiling, the statue-described as a “small metal woman with a winsome face and uncertain buttoning”-began to feel like a permanent fixture, despite Fielding’s acknowledgement that it “may not be there in three centuries.” She concluded, “It is quite a lovely thing that Bridget means something in this country.” A photograph of Zellweger and Fielding at the event was captured by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images.
