Niamh McQuillan considers how Bridgerton balances modern feminist ideals with the limitations of the Regency era.

Dearest gentle reader,  

Netflix’s most glamorous show has just released its newest season and with it arises the question: is the show a guilty pleasure worth deeply interrogating or simply frivolous fun?  

The very first episode of season one of Bridgerton opens with a bold statement, quoting the famous poet Lord Byron: 

“Of all bitches, dead or alive, a scribbling woman is the most canine”. 

But are the women of the show truly that radical? Every season thus far has followed the same narrative arc: a Bridgerton sibling decides it is their time to marry, they meet the love of their life but for one reason or another they cannot be together, chaos ensues but eventually they marry and live happily ever after. Obviously, each season alters this formula to an extent but ultimately marriage is the goal. 

This wholesome plotline has worked wonders amongst the show’s predominantly female viewership, however until the recent confirmation by Netflix that season five will follow Francesca Bridgerton’s love story, the possibility of the next season following Eloise Bridgerton’s story complicated this audience satisfaction immensely.  Discourse emerged online amongst viewers anticipating the possible changes to Eloise’s story from the original book; if the writers stick with the plot of the book, we would see Eloise, a woman who not only has decidedly settled on being a spinster but also believes marriage fundamentally threatens women’s freedom, become someone’s wife.  

What does that say to the young women watching the show, that getting married is more important than their independence? This would erase everything we as the audience thought Eloise stood for and the writers already seem to be preparing us for this dramatic shift in her character. 

Her heart seems to soften throughout the newest, fourth season of the show with her admitting to her sister, Hyacinth: 

“I can see that on occasion marriage might have its advantages – companionship, family, a prime set at a soirée […] if not for mother and father’s marriage, we would not all have each other.” 

Throughout her time on the show, Eloise has borne witness to five of her siblings’ marriages. Viewers online have pointed out the effects of Eloise seeing specifically her sister Daphne’s, debut into society, watching on as Daphne is forced to entertain sinister male suitors, which certainly intensified her fears surrounding marriage.  

Daphne, herself, as the eldest daughter, plays a pivotal role in securing a husband cementing her family’s reputation. Her own fears are born from her worry of not finding a husband. She remarks to her brother, Anthony, “If I am unable to find a husband, I should be worthless”. 

The struggles faced by the women of the show are rejected by Eloise with her standing as the only openly feminist character on the show. Seeing her back track from her firm, independent stance feels very disappointing but unfortunately not really surprising due to  the normalisation of right-wing ideologies online. With the rise of content promoting giving up one’s independence for a man. Vlogs of stay-at-home girlfriends and women talking about wanting to live a “soft life” implicitly encourages female viewers to rely on their partner’s income and to not strive for success in their careers. Most of this content doesn’t feel intentional in its messaging but that doesn’t mean it isn’t still helping to breed support for ideas surrounding traditional gender roles. Bridgerton seems to fall right into this strange predicament. 

On the one hand, we must acknowledge the efforts of the show to cement itself as a radical force within the stale, conservative world of period dramas. Colour-conscious casting, queer love interests and disabled side characters have helped diversify the genre and pave the way for other more progressive period works, such as Persuasion (2022) and The Personal History of David Copperfield (2019). However, the show’s intersectionality can feel surface level once interrogated past these casting choices.  

With the rise of traditional gender roles being pushed towards young women through social media, we must recognise Bridgerton’s role in that. The show centres marriage and romantic relationships above all else. All of the heroines once married and settled into family life devote themselves to their husbands and if relevant their children as well. Their stories end after the happily ever after of marriage and kids, romanticising a life that for most women during this regency era was not so bubbly. Women of this era were totally reliant on their husbands financially and had no ownership over anything in their lives, not even their children. 

With all this in mind, we must recognise our place as viewers in all of this. By watching a show set in the Regency period, in an era which we know heavily exerted patriarchal control on the lives of women, we cannot expect such extreme modernisations. The writers do try as much as they can to display progressive ideas in such a conservative time period, but they can only do so much. Bridgerton is a show about the lives of wealthy, upper-class families of early 19^th century Britain, and for the women of this world, marriage and family were all they were entitled to. If you want the show to be more progressive then maybe the show isn’t for you, a period drama is still a period drama at the end of the day. 

That being said, if Eloise is our next heroine, it would be nice to see her still be granted some form of independence in her marriage. Seeing a happy, equal, heterosexual relationship on screen is always welcome, especially for the young female viewers who look up to the characters of the show. We as viewers can’t expect too much from a show set over 200 years ago but writing it off as simply a guilty pleasure isn’t needed. Through devoting our attention, we give power to the media we consume. Bridgerton holds a form of influence over our lives, but we must appreciate that it is only a reflection of our culture’s values and we are the culture. If we want to see change, we have to start it.  

Yours truly, Niamh McQuillan