The Frazzled English Girl Guide
- santalily
- Mar 10
- 3 min read
It’s no secret that Bridget Jones has made any sort of lasting effect on Gen Z, millennials, and Gen X women, from chunky scarves to exploding love triangles. She had it all. And we wanted that too. Well, we didn’t exactly want to be her, but we wanted the chances that she had. Becoming a slightly well-known reporter without the pain of being recognised in Tesco’s by strangers’ whist we’re trying to buy our daily sweet treat (treats), having two absolutely jaw droppingly gorgeous men to choose from, and to have a relatively nice apartment in Central London. One can only dream, in this cost-of-living crisis, right? I for one, was obsessed with Jones. Even her surname gives me nostalgia of watching the sequel for the first time (if you know you know). I have definitely built my style surrounding her persona. I simply cannot wait for autumn and winter to hit already-cold England, so I can whip out my trench coats, stripy tops, turtlenecks and scarves that nearly hit the floor. As the crisp air hits us girls, we get jittery. Suddenly I see by KT Tunstall starts playing whilst we’re frantically trying to make it to wherever we need to be at 9am on time but we must have the right outfit on, that makes us look like we haven’t just rolled out of bed 4 minutes ago, but in fact, we’ve already showered, done our makeup, and chosen the outfit the night before. “A bracelet, a bracelet and earrings, oh, and a dangly necklace” we say to convince ourselves that the accessories we choose will make our work crush (or tube crush), believe we have our lives entirely together. Not only our fashion is influenced by Bridget. Our love lives are also severely affected, I would say. Why take yourself to cafes and petite corner restaurants in Notting Hill, when you know Bridget Jones would complain of nothing less in her diary? Yes, we have our girlfriends. But we do everything with them… sometimes you just want that tall, dark and handsome someone to waltz into your life and take you for a glass at that wine bar you’ve been wanting to try, or ice skating at Somerset House, or even better, you can finally take them to the family Christmas event that everyone’s been asking you, every year, if you’re bringing a special someone. So, whether you are in your late teens, 20’s, 30’s or even 50’s, every single girl dreams of a Bridget Jones life of some kind. I say some kind, because let’s be frank- I don’t think we all want to be arrested and thrown into a Thai cell.
Following on from the Bridget Jones phenomenon, which was of course the 90’s. They’re back, baby. 90’s, 2000’s, we all know it, and we’ve all known it for quite some time now. Low waisted baggy jeans’, leather jackets, basic white t-shirts, all of it. But most recently, in late 2024, we’ve seen the rise of the “Frazzled English Woman”, that does not necessarily have to live in England. Most of us do; but apparently, we’ve gone international! What a success! To live a life like Jones is now a trend. However, it is hard to imagine girls in LA, living the ‘luxe life’ of going to the Alo gym, having TikTok famous boyfriends and shopping at Erewhon every day, just wanting to be acknowledged by the love of their life whilst wearing their granny pants, from M&S, under their layers and layers of thick woollen clothing. My TikTok was full of these clips of the Frazzled English Woman aesthetic made by creators, that after looking at their accounts, are 11 years old and ask in the comment section, “what is a bridget jones?” the horror and disgust I felt. So, although, us Gen-Zers, Xers, and millennials are taken aback by Jones’s aura that we feel so deep in our soul on a daily, Generation Alpha clearly do not.
If you’re like me and would like to purchase more of what you already own in “the same style, but different font” please see below. Or if you are new to the frazzled look. Welcome.
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