With the release of the first part of season four of Bridgerton, my social media has once again been buzzing with memes, predictions, and fan edits of the Bridgerton brothers. This time around, I insisted on rewatching the show with my partner, who had never seen or even heard of it before. As we watched, we paused often to talk through the characters’ choices, until eventually my partner laughed and said, “It’s cute how protective you get over Penelope.”
This statement made me question why exactly I was so attached to her character. Was it her smarts? Her online popularity?
The answer did not elude me for too long, as my emotional ties to Penelope’s character are quite clear. Throughout the show, I see myself in her. Her body, personality, and feelings of loneliness all reflect my own, along with those of many other plus-sized women.
For those unfamiliar with Bridgerton, it is a Regency-inspired romance drama based on the books written by Julia Quinn. Penelope Featherington, an important character across all of the seasons, is a plus-size woman navigating a marriage market that has already decided she is undesirable. Penelope is belittled and dismissed by her own family as her sisters snicker at her clothes and appearance. Her own mother even tells her, “You’ve always been my most practical child. You’ll be fine. We shall be two old ladies together, keeping each other company,” showcasing the lack of confidence her own family has in her appearance.
Like many young plus-size girls do, she internalizes these comments and starts reflecting them in her own thoughts. Throughout the show, she assumes compliments are actually insults, stating “Do not jest,” even when her own cousin compliments her dress. She makes jokes at her own expense and refers to herself as a spinster long before society has fully cast her aside. While these comments are easily overlooked, plus-size women like me recognize the bite behind each word all too well.
Growing up, I struggled with confidence. I wasn’t bullied outright, but the world has subtle ways of telling you that you are unwanted when you are plus-size. I was chosen last, complimented on anything but my appearance, and unable to find clothes that felt like myself. I avoided conversations about relationships, as no one had even bothered to ask me out or tell me they were interested in me. Even in my wildest dreams, I never saw myself dating, much less married.
Like Penelope, I did not, and still do not, need romantic love to be worthy or accomplished. But it still hurt to feel like I was never an option, never even a consideration. Romance shows and books reinforced that message, repeatedly casting girls like me as “the funny fat friend” rather than real, deep love interests.
But Bridgerton was different.
In season three, Penelope became a love interest. The show focused on her finding the confidence to flirt and talk to potential suitors. In the end, Penelope wasn’t just loved or married off; she was pursued by the two most sought-after men of the season. The show focused on her finding a “true love match,” the most coveted romance in the town.
Bridgerton allowed Penelope’s character to find love without jokes about her size and even made it so she found herself along the way. Her story felt intentional and romantic, which is refreshing among all the satirical plus-sized romance side plots.
To some viewers, this might seem insignificant, but to me, it was gut-wrenching. It was the first time I saw a plus-size character’s romance treated with such genuine care and desire. Bridgerton showed Penelope as beautiful, and in doing so, it told me, and many young plus-sized women, that we’re capable of being loved, no matter how much the world tries to convince us we aren’t.
Rewatching Bridgerton with my partner has made the experience even more meaningful. Like Penelope, I have found my Colin. Watching the show for the first time taught me that I could be loved. Watching it again reminds me that I am. It reminds me that girls like Penelope, and girls like me, were never unrealistic or unworthy. We were simply written out of love stories for far too long, and now we are finally being written back in.