Bridget Jones versus Carrie Bradshaw: Who Smokes a Cigarette the Best?
Battle of the chain-smoking girlies
After a Bridget Jones marathon, I came to a stunning realization: Bridget Jones and Carrie Bradshaw effectively live the same life. I even wondered if Bridget Jones was inspired by Sex and the City. It isn’t. Turns out it is inspired by Pride & Prejudice, which actually is super funny because Colin Firth plays Mr. Darcy in P&P and also in Bridget Jones. So silly! Mr. Firth was booked an busy! Anyways, Carrie’s, while more glamorous, life mirrors Bridget’s life, just six hours behind. These two suffer the same problem: men. Let’s get into it.


The lightbulb flicked on when I clocked Bridget’s love for a cigarette. She loves to rip a cig, and you know what, so does Carrie. The two are always holding a cig between their fingers, sucking on it like a pacifier. Cigs are a method to clear their heads of the men ruining their lives. Both of them claim to quit, and then they do not. A classic trope.
Let’s get the basics out of the way: The two women work in the same industry. Bridget is a television journalist and we all know Carrie is a writer. They are similar enough. Bridget did start off in publishing! They also love a cab and are torn between men.
Their plots are basically the same, Bridget’s is just in film form so it’s much more condensed. I would assign the role of Mr. Big to Mark and the role of Aidan to Daniel. I’m firm in my beliefs that Mark is Big (she calls him Mr. Darcy), but if anyone has any other ideas for Daniel, I’m open. He does have aspects of Big in him, like how he is a lying, cheating flake. But, you know, labels.
Notably, neither of these wonderful ladies is precise about their actions. They both follow their hearts before their heads, thus the infamous “get it while it’s hot” scene and other terrible introductions at Big’s door. But, I won’t bash my girl Carrie like that. Bridget also has her fair share of humiliating moments, such as when she runs out in a snowstorm to chase down Mark but she’s in her underwear. Bridget and Carrie both exhibit traits in women that are deemed unflattering by society, but we allll act like that. Trust. It’s the most raw interpretation of girlhood there is. They are both female leads who represent some less attractive qualities in women. I think they are realistic. That is me! I can see my crazy in their crazy!


The other connection comes from the media structure itself: both Carrie and Bridget narrate the films/episodes because they are reading what they are writing. IT’S ALL CONNECTED. This is why I thought Bridget was inspired by Carrie. The formulas in the movie are direct replicas of the formulas in a SATC episode.
One of the biggest connections I found also comes from a similar storyline. The sequels for both franchise’s respective films take place in a random foreign country. Now, don’t get me started about Sex and the City 2 (the Sexquel). It enrages me. Alas, the girlies end up in Abu Dhabi. Over in the BJDCU, Bridget ends up in Thailand with Daniel. My understanding is that the writers needed to create something lavish and juicier than the previous installment so that fans would watch it. However, the subplots of the women rubbing butts with the respective local law enforcements really makes me question a lot.


Now, most importantly, who smokes a cigarette the best? I have to give that to New York City resident Carrie Bradshaw. Smoking is part of who Carrie is (or was). Smoking for Bridget is just a side hustle. Part of Carrie’s personality stems from her dirty (sorry) habit, and we love her for that.
I’ve only seen the first two Bridget Jones, so I hope she is happy with Mark, and I hope that Carrie and Big are doing something absolutely ridiculous in Manhattan. Wait, (SPOILER) Big died on the Peloton. Never mind then.
bridget jones being based off of pride and prejudice really makes me realized how little i remember about that book