Is Bridgerton Good, or Are We Just Horny?

graphic by samantha currier

New hit TV show Bridgerton basically broke the internet by artistically sensationalizing a time of sexual repression. We open to Daphne Bridgerton being practically suffocated by her corset, making her out to be the TEXTBOOK example of a “holier than thou” virgin; making her London’s diamond of the courting season and a prime candidate for getting her pantaloons in a twist.

As a woman ready to be presented into society and marry, Daphne had absolutely no idea about the inner workings of sex. The show gives us all a lesson on masturbation via Daphne’s lesson from Simon Basset, the Duke of Hastings, and even then, she had no idea what so-called “marital relations” entailed. The way women were kept in the dark and then expected to suddenly become baby-makers should infuriate viewers, yet it somehow makes us root for the characters as we so desperately want them to unlock the forbidden fruit of their sexual desires with the same freedom and expression that we do today.

Instead of recounting the reality of learning sexual preferences and gaining sexual experience, Bridgerton appeals to the modern audience by romanticizing what is usually an awkward and uncoordinated attempt at figuring out the anatomy of sex. The most unrealistic element is the way in which Daphne Bridgerton is portrayed to enjoy sex when there is virtually NO foreplay by her supposedly experienced counterpart. For someone so experienced, he didn’t try very hard to please her (actually, come to think of it, maybe it WAS a realistic portrayal...)

Bridgerton portrays the sickening reality of women having to be presented like objects to a room of gawking suitors and be pawned off to escape the judgment and persecution faced by unmarried women. Courting season awarded a lose-lose arrangement to most women, as it was rare for a woman to find a match with someone she truly loved--sounds a lot like Tinder, TBH. 

On the surface of the plot, there are interesting relationships and controversies between characters, viewers are only really sticking around for the repeated sex scenes between Daphne and Simon, along with those between the Bridgerton brothers and their respective sexual partners. The concept of having to hide sexual relations behind closed doors unless married is thrilling to watch, especially since this stigma is still present in some parts of the world today. Modern culture is definitely much more accepting of casual sex, but there is still a part of society that craves the order and tradition romanticized by shows like Bridgerton.

The amount of screen time spent watching the characters sleep with one another makes up a majority of the show’s appeal, as the rest of the show describes the endless rules of the time and frustrates the viewer with the societal nuances embodied by the upper class. 

The blatant misogyny of the show seems to be overlooked as people continue to root for different characters and live vicariously through their animalistic sex lives. While it is entertaining to experience sexual buildup through characters and feel satisfaction when they finally CUM together, the problematic nature of the nineteenth century should have struck a chord with the viewership as an important marker of how far society has come, and how far it still needs to go. 

The verdict: Bridgerton was like, FINE, but we are definitely horny.