*Spoilers ahead!*
It’s cold, it’s dark and I’m running out of Christmas chocolate. But turn on Netflix and I’m in a world of Wisteria, curtsies and corsets ready to watch the young ladies of the ton step out into society.
Although I may be a little late to the party, a sin in our Regency London setting, I’m sure I can be granted a pardon. Bridgerton, with its colourful and bejewelled gowns and orchestral versions of our favourite modern day artists is the perfect escapism from our current world. I binged the series in 2 days.
Bridgerton has become the fifth most-watched Netflix Original since its release on Christmas Day last year, with 63 million viewers to date. Searches for corset tops have increased by 39% and sales of embroidery (Lady Bridgerton’s favourite pastime) have increased by 65% since the series aired, it is clear the focus for this series is the women and everything they do.
Bridgerton is full of women, young and old, demonstrating both the confines of patriarchy and their own feminine power. While I don’t think we could go as far as to call Bridgerton feminist, for the era it is set in, it certainly goes further than period dramas before it. The Ladies are definitely not sitting back and letting men carve their path completely.
Female Power
The power of female gossip and the female voice is something that cannot be missed in Bridgerton. From the moment the programme starts to its very end, the David Attenborough-esk narration of Lady Whistledown’s Society Papers is poured drop-by-drop into our ears, filling them with tales of love, lust and most importantly scandal.
But what makes Lady Whistledown’s gossip column so important is its impact. Almost every character, from our little Daphne to the Queen herself, feel the repercussions of Lady Whistledown’s words. Amongst the bigger scandals; Lady Whistledown reveals the out-of-wedlock pregnancy of Marina, the niece of Lord and Lady Fetherington, bringing down the reputation of the entire Fetherington household. Shocking yes, but even more shocking is the revelation that Lady Whistledown’s true identity is in fact Penelope Fetherington, a firm favourite character throughout. Suddenly we see the true power of the female voice. Penelope, often overlooked and let’s be honest, overdressed (yellow isn’t everyone’s colour), is able to bring the fall of her family, mock the Queen and dictate many of the other characters actions. Lady Whistledown becomes Penelope’s alter-ego giving her the power she would never have – quite an achievement for the youngest daughter of an unpopular family. And this reveal in the final episode makes me think there is more to come from Penelope in series 2 (fingers crossed).
It isn’t just the women of society that can use their voice to make change. As Lady Bridgerton says “the help hears everything”. It is the maid’s gossip that allows the Bridgerton’s to discover Lord Berbrooke’s sordid past and free Daphne from his marriage proposal. Onto bigger and better things eh Daph? The Duke is without doubt a step up -- or three.
Female Pleasure
Like most period dramas – I’m looking at you Versailles – Bridgerton loves a sex scene. However, unlike most period dramas Bridgerton’s focus is on women and women’s pleasure. In fact in a recent interview with Grazia Phoebe Dynevor, who plays Daphne, said she loved showcasing “the female gaze and watching [Daphne] figure it out for herself”. The series doesn’t shy away from topics such as female masturbation; a topic which even today is reserved more to conversations on girls group chats than showcased in popular culture. And we’re more likely to find the Duke of Hastings’ head between Daphne’s legs than the other way around – whether we’d all be brave enough to do it on the stairs of our family home is another matter. It is these scenes, where the women take control of their own sexual experience, that allow them to demonstrate agency in their own pleasure. The Regency version of the group chat is recreated in discussions between Daphne and her maid Rose where Daphne’s pleasure is celebrated without embarrassment or shame.
And it is both the upper class and the working class women who are shown to enjoy and desire sex, removing some of the promiscuity associated with sex and female pleasure. Of course, there’s still promiscuity – just knock on Henry Granville’s door for that.
Female Friendship
But if it’s friendship you’re looking for, Bridgerton can offer that too. The friendship between Eloise Bridgerton and Penelope Fetherington is lovely to watch as well as allowing the series to pass the Bechdel test on more than one occasion. Throughout this series the two young women support each other despite their differing desires in life – with Penelope willing and happy to follow the course of life dictated to her by society of being a wife and mother, whereas Eloise is more interested in continuing her education and having a career. An early feminist we might argue?
There are of course some echoes of friendship between the ‘ambitious Mamas’, but these are made on ladders while climbing to the top levels of society rather than built on genuine connection like Eloise and Penelope. What sets this friendship apart is their acceptance of one another – flaws and all. Whether this will continue if we get a series 2 and the truth behind Lady Whistledown is revealed is yet to be determined. But hopefully another instalment will be in the making soon.
Images in this post are not owned by the writer.
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