I started watching Bridgerton over winter break at the suggestion of my mom. She and I are both huge fans of historical period dramas and I figured a show that had any similarities to Pride and Prejudice would be a good fit for me. We both enjoyed it immensely and thought it had important social commentary and shed some light on issues relating to gender and social class in Regency England. I love everything about Bridgerton- the costumes, the setting, the comedy, and most importantly, the storyline. I am currently justifying rewatching the entire series for “research purposes” for this article as an excuse to get swept up in the world of elegant balls and English countrysides because I have never found a more perfect series for me. I love everything relating to history, but occasionally, historical series can get boring if they try to be too factual and informative. Presenting the material in the form of a comedy/drama with hints of satire made me never want to stop watching. Bridgerton presents many social issues that took place in the Regency Period of England, some of which we as a society are very aware of, and some that we tend to overlook. I love that we can see different societal issues through each individual character and get a sense of the struggles that each one faced.
Perhaps the most pervasive and the most glaringly obvious theme throughout Bridgerton is the lack of opportunities and rights that women had, regardless of their place in society. Certain women had it worse than others, but gender inequality was a theme that transcended social class and economic status. Whether you look at Daphne Bridgerton, the daughter of a wealthy Viscountess and the jewel of the ball season (as determined by the Queen of England herself), Siena Rosso, an opera singer from a lower social class who is the mistress of Daphne’s older brother, or Marina Thompson, a girl from the countryside who is taken in by her distant aunt and uncle as a “charity case” so she could be a part of the ball season and find a husband. They each had their own struggles and were trapped into living a life that they did not necessarily want to live but were unable to leave. They were all reliant on men for security and if they could not find a husband, they would remain the responsibility of their parents. I think Daphne Bridgerton said it best when she expressed her anxieties about not finding a match by saying that this was all she was raised to achieve and her future was dependent on her performance during the ball season. Daphne is in one of the most fortunate situations of all of the women in the series, given her family’s wealth and title, but even she is relying on an advantageous marriage to secure herself socially and financially. Some of the other characters are not so lucky. Daphne has the luxury of searching for a love match while most of the other girls are simply looking for security in a man that they will most likely never love. Marina Thompson is hoping for a marriage fast so she can hide the fact that she arrives at her cousins’ house pregnant, which is the ultimate scandal since a man and women are barely even allowed in a room alone together before they are married. If she is revealed to be pregnant out of wedlock, her marriage prospects are over. Women have to keep their reputations intact because even one transgression will ruin a women’s chances of securing a match.
Another aspect of the time period that people tend to overlook is how men are almost as entrapped in society as women. There is this idea that women were restricted while men had the freedom to do whatever they wanted, but this was not the case. While men had independence and more opportunities to have a career than women did, they were not immune to society’s restrictions. This is most evident in the case of Daphne Bridgerton’s brothers. Her eldest brother is the head of their family and is responsible for securing Daphne an advantageous match and performing all the duties that their father would have done. This responsibility forces him to conform to the life expected of him when he would rather be with Siena, but because of her social standing and “questionable” career, any kind of relationship between the two of them would not be acceptable. Daphne’s second brother, Benedict, also struggles with not being able to pursue his passions. He is a talented artist, but cannot explore his talent since artists at that time were not held in high regard. He discovers through a friend of his that everyone who does not fit into societal norms, including artists and members of the LGBTQ+ community, get together in secret and can be themselves in private when they normally have to hide these parts of themselves to blend in with society. Both brothers are held back from being with their real romantic interests because of the societal expectations for them to marry within their social class to either maintain or elevate their social standing. Men from the wealthier classes were not able to be in touch with their emotions or artistic sides if they wished to.
Overall, I think Bridgerton did an amazing job of highlighting many of the societal issues that affected people in Regency England. It made its viewers think about issues that they may not have thought about before. People during this time, regardless of gender, dealt with a tremendous amount of societal pressure, especially the wealthier classes, which prevented them from exploring any interests or relationships that were not considered acceptable by society. Each of the characters had restraints on their happiness and freedom, even though those restraints looked different for each one. For this reason, I think a show like Bridgerton is a great way to start a dialogue about the role of society and how its influence affects our lives. I am so excited for season two of Bridgerton and hope that this article inspires people to analyze the show a little further and see it in a different light!