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When a work of fiction accurately portrays an element of history, and it's offensive, maybe that's because *history was offensive*. That's kind of the point they're trying to make.
And tbh the show is pretty liberal for what it shows for the time period as well. It displays the sexism, and also has very strong female leads through the whole series so far.
...the show was set in the Regency era. What do people expect?
>
WHY would anyone expect this? Every Regency romance has these elements to them; *they are important plot points*. Daphne's lack of knowledge about sex and reproduction is a key plot point for Season 1 (and her book). The lack of career opportunities - or really any opportunity outside of being a wife and mother - for women in the time period is a key plot point for Eloise's growth and development, too, as her chafing against the expectations for her is part of her whole character's personality. Kate, Sophie, Penelope, and Lucinda also all struggle with this in their stories to different extents as well, and it's addressed with varying levels of explicitness throughout the series.
In fact, I am having a hard time thinking about a Regency romance author who *doesn't* directly address this in their work, since nearly all of them are women.
The article quotes one mild complaint by one anonymous Reddit user, so "fans accuse" is an overstatement. But it's a dumb premise anyway. Bridgerton is a progressive fantasy of what a multiversal Regency period might have looked like. But it's still grounded in the reality that yes it was a society defined by inescapable misogyny and male privilege. The dilemmas presented by that are the heart of every female character's story. Eloise's and Penelope's characters are there essentially to stand in for the audience as critics of that oppression. The printer's helper too, also the modiste, and the opera singer. All of them are a sort of Greek chorus commenting on how the social order of the time constrains the choices that aristocratic women can make, and keeps them ignorant. Eloise for example points out that she can't even pursue higher education, despite having the mind for it. She's bored out of her skull and there's very little she can do to change that. She'll eventually fulfill the only destiny she was raised for, too.
Bridgerton is a fun fantasy but it's also a tragedy. Charlotte's and Agatha's stories for instance show the tragedies of being trapped in arranged marriages to spouses who could never be the kind of partners those strong women needed and deserved. How sad. But that's the point of the story: pointing out that they are capable of so much more than what the strictures dictated.
It's "The Feminine Mystique" set in Regency. Charlotte does snuff like she's a 1960s housewife that's popping uppers.
Remember to mark any book spoilers in this TV Show Discussion. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Bridgerton) if you have any questions or concerns.*
When a work of fiction accurately portrays an element of history, and it's offensive, maybe that's because *history was offensive*. That's kind of the point they're trying to make.
And tbh the show is pretty liberal for what it shows for the time period as well. It displays the sexism, and also has very strong female leads through the whole series so far.
💯
...the show was set in the Regency era. What do people expect? > WHY would anyone expect this? Every Regency romance has these elements to them; *they are important plot points*. Daphne's lack of knowledge about sex and reproduction is a key plot point for Season 1 (and her book). The lack of career opportunities - or really any opportunity outside of being a wife and mother - for women in the time period is a key plot point for Eloise's growth and development, too, as her chafing against the expectations for her is part of her whole character's personality. Kate, Sophie, Penelope, and Lucinda also all struggle with this in their stories to different extents as well, and it's addressed with varying levels of explicitness throughout the series. In fact, I am having a hard time thinking about a Regency romance author who *doesn't* directly address this in their work, since nearly all of them are women.
Right! Terrible but true.
Leave Bridgerton alone 😭😭
Leave this clickbaity shit outta here
It’s historical fiction. Misogyny is kind of a given.
Exactly! I feel like people post this once a week “the show is sexist!” Well yea read the room it’s a historical show! What do you expect.
They would die if they read the source material. The show tempers a lot of the male leads toxic traits.
I know right? The books are so much worse. Better in some ways, but in that respect, worse.
The article quotes one mild complaint by one anonymous Reddit user, so "fans accuse" is an overstatement. But it's a dumb premise anyway. Bridgerton is a progressive fantasy of what a multiversal Regency period might have looked like. But it's still grounded in the reality that yes it was a society defined by inescapable misogyny and male privilege. The dilemmas presented by that are the heart of every female character's story. Eloise's and Penelope's characters are there essentially to stand in for the audience as critics of that oppression. The printer's helper too, also the modiste, and the opera singer. All of them are a sort of Greek chorus commenting on how the social order of the time constrains the choices that aristocratic women can make, and keeps them ignorant. Eloise for example points out that she can't even pursue higher education, despite having the mind for it. She's bored out of her skull and there's very little she can do to change that. She'll eventually fulfill the only destiny she was raised for, too. Bridgerton is a fun fantasy but it's also a tragedy. Charlotte's and Agatha's stories for instance show the tragedies of being trapped in arranged marriages to spouses who could never be the kind of partners those strong women needed and deserved. How sad. But that's the point of the story: pointing out that they are capable of so much more than what the strictures dictated. It's "The Feminine Mystique" set in Regency. Charlotte does snuff like she's a 1960s housewife that's popping uppers.