There’s much about the world of Bridget Jones’s Diary that reads quite differently in 2025 than it did when the movie first premiered in 2001. Smoking indoors literally everywhere is no longer the norm, Daniel Cleaver and Fitz-Herbert’s wildly inappropriate perviness at the office is far less funny and the outfit Bridget’s mother lays out for her in the beginning of the film (with the enormous, ruffled collar and matching brocade vest and skirt) would almost definitely be considered cool nowadays, at least in Brooklyn. But perhaps the most surprising change, which dawned on me only after my most recent rewatch, is realizing that Perpetua is actually a true girl’s girl.
I Rewatched Bridget Jones’s Diary and Can’t Believe I Never Realized How Much of a Girl’s Girl This Side Character Actually Is
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Published Jan 15, 2025
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Perpetua, played by Felicity Montagu, is Bridget’s colleague at Pemberly Press, described as “slightly senior and therefore thinks she’s in charge of me.” Bridget is not a fan, and at first glance I can see why—Perpetua is haughty and pretty stuck up. She seems primarily focused on her home renovations, and I don’t doubt she thinks quite highly of herself and for sure sees herself as much more put together than Bridget. (In Perpetua’s defense, she’s not exactly wrong about that last one.) But when push comes to shove, Perpetua proves herself to be a real girl’s girl, and someone Bridget maybe should have given more of a chance.
After Bridget tells Daniel she’s leaving her job at Pemberly for a career in television, clearly very proud of herself for escaping a truly toxic work environment (and rightfully so), he follows her out of his office to plead with her to stay. But before he even gets a chance, there is Perpetua, who has been watching this disastrous romance from the sidelines from the very beginning, standing right by Bridget’s side, staring down Daniel and daring him to say anything other than the truth—which is that he used Bridget for fun without ever really considering her or her feelings.
It's a small moment, but one that really stood out to me during this rewatch. I then thought back to Perpetua’s other scenes and realized she’s really not the snobby work nemesis Bridget first presents her to be. She says nothing about Bridget’s inappropriate office attire (like the “forgotten” skirt and see through top) and doesn’t publicly or privately scold her for coming to work late with a hangover. And when Bridget’s romance with Daniel goes down the drain, you can see Perpetua in the background of multiple scenes always keeping an eye on Bridget.
I think Perpetua truly cares about Bridget’s wellbeing. Not the in the way that a best friend would, but in the same way that a stranger at a bar might recognize another woman in distress and keep one eye on her at all times. She’s the type of girl’s girl you’d call upon to pretend to be someone you know to save you from a creepy man. The type who doesn’t mind being mean to protect another woman, and who knows that even if she and Bridget are never destined to be friends, that doesn’t mean it’s ok to stand aside and let Daniel be cruel to her.
She’s more of a Samantha, and less of a Charlotte. Unlike Bridget’s close friends, who are always there with encouraging words (and wine and cigarettes), Perpetua won’t hold Bridget’s hand and cry with her. But she will give Daniel a piece of her mind on Bridget’s behalf. We all need people like that—that specific brand of girl’s girl—in our lives, whether we call them friends or not.
In the same way the Lorax speaks for the trees, these women speak out for other women when they cannot do so themselves. They are unafraid of being labeled “bitchy” or “intense.” And while Bridget was doing an excellent job sticking up for herself while quitting Pemberly, simultaneously giving Daniel the old heave-ho, perhaps it was Perpetua’s show of solidarity that gave her the courage to whip out that iconic and incredibly satisfying final goodbye—“If staying here means working within ten yards of you, frankly, I’d rather have a job wiping Saddam Hussein’s arse.”
