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Drink, smoke, work, succeed?
Poor old Bridget. She's a working woman riddled with vices - smoking like a chimney and drinking for England. Her antics appear to be harmless fun, but what effect is her lifestyle having on her career? If you want to get ahead, don't do a BridgetWhen Bridget Jones’s Diary was published in 1996, ‘Ladette’ culture loomed on the horizon. Everyone spent evenings guzzling Chardonnay and smoking their lungs out. It wasn't just socially acceptable, it was deeply de rigeur.
Bridget’s diary entry for Tuesday 19 December reflects the 1996 standard: ‘Alcohol units 9... cigarettes 30...9.a.m. Oh God, feel awful: horrible sick acidic hangover...’
‘That’s nothing,’ laugh Louise and Gina. Like Bridget, Louise and Gina are both in their thirties and work in the media.
‘I don’t go out every night,’ says Louise, lighting a cigarette. ‘Maybe two or three times a week. I’ll have three or four glasses of wine or a few cocktails.’
‘Even if I go straight home, I’ll open a bottle to drink, while I’m watching ER,’ Gina butts in. ‘And I don’t think we’re that unusual. Look around you,’ she waves a hand at the crowd that have packed into the smoky wine bar. ‘Everyone’s at it. It’s a great way to unwind.’
Gina has got one thing right: a lot of young women are still living the Bridget Jones lifestyle. Recent surveys suggest British women are progressively drinking more. The Royal College of Physicians published a report, saying at least 27 per cent of women drink more than the recommended weekly amount, compared to only 15 per cent of men. Specialists say this has resulted in an unprecedented number of cases of cirrhosis of the liver among women in their 20s.
According to the National Statistics Office, the number of smokers in this country has declined dramatically over the last ten years, the only group where the smoking is still on the rise, is that of young women. In the US, the Surgeon General recently reported that lung cancer is now the leading cause of cancer death among US women; it surpassed breast cancer in 1987.
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Created: 05/04/2001 Updated: 31/07/2003
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