Bridgerton: Pretty Ball Gowns Masking Improprieties

**There are a couple spoilers enclosed. **

Ok, I think I’ve waited long enough to talk about Netflix’s Bridgerton. Take me to Shondaland any day! Anything Shonda Rhimes touches and Julie Andrews narrates is worth the binge in my eyes. Bridgerton doesn't  disappoint. It gave what any good period drama should give: loaded character development, aesthetically beautiful costuming and sets, and humpentry.

Yeah, I made that word up. Humpentry is when actors hump like they are doing carpentry work in sex scenes.

Bridgerton also has the heir of discountenance on everyone and everything. That's needed in every good English period piece. It was also nice to see brown faces in the mix of the story. The writers managed to create a dystopian alternative to England 1813 where racism didn’t seem to blatantly exist. Charming. 

Yeah, I wrote charming in an English discountenance accent. 

All in all I did quite enjoy Bridgerton. 

Yeah, the accent is still lingering. Sorry.

I’ve already been binge watching The Crown so adding another show set in England was right up my alley. Lady Whistledown is my favorite character. I screamed at the reveal even though I began doing process of elimination early on and assumed it was her. I love that it’s her! That brings so much more depth to the story. Oh yes, Regé-Jean Page who plays Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings is foooiiine. But ya’ll done talked about his fine assetry (another made up word) to death honey!

I did however, have serious issues with the storyline that I’ve been wrestling with for quite sometime now. Bridgerton is set during the Regency era where girls are presented to the royal court as debutantes. They are then presented to the available upper echelon bachelors with the hopes to be chosen as a wife. During this era a debutante could be presented to the royal court as young as 12 years old. When a girl starts her period she is deemed ready for the debutante process because her body is seemingly ready to conceive and bare children. 

You cringing yet? 

No? 

Well, I am! 

I cringed at 14-16 years young Daphne being told to “touch” herself at night by college graduate 21-23 year old Simon. I skipped their whole honeymoon sex scenes. I teared up when she had to run and ask Rose, her maid, how children are conceived. I yelled with her in the scene with her mother when she ridiculed her for not telling her anything about sex or marriage.  Sis just threw her child into an approved a pedephilia arrangement without giving her any guidance! Approved because it's accepted by society. 

Society's approval in every era has been of detriment to generations. But that's a whole other blog post for another time, chile. 

I think what upsets me most about the storyline is that though this formal process of pimping girls doesn’t occur anymore it’s still happening in various ways in 2021. 

• Instead of debutante balls girls are now being snatched and trafficked. 
• Girls aren't being supervised by adults who have their best interest at heart. 
• Girls aren’t being taught about their body, its changes, or how to navigate through hormonal feelings. 
• Girls aren’t being taught about sex and sexuality. 
• Girls aren't taught about healthy interactions with their peers.
• Girls aren't taught about the meaning of friendship.
• Girls aren't taught about dating.
• Girls aren’t taught to claim and affirm autonomy over every part of themselves. 
• Girls are still being prepped for male satisfaction.

Girls are left to figure things out on their own which causes them a lifetime of trauma.

It’s gut wrenching. It’s infuriating. It’s depressing.

So though Bridgerton is a fictitious account of historical happenings in society. The way many girls are handled, raised, and treated in today’s society isn’t that different. The only difference is that there isn't the luxury of pretty ball gowns masking improprieties.

So, what are we going to do about it?