Integritus Prime

In my last post about Bridgerton, I took a look at the trauma patterns of the two leading men in the franchise so far: Simon Basset and Anthony Bridgerton. In this post, I examine the 7 feminist characters that I enjoyed across both seasons. They really raised the bar for that era in unique ways that left the men stumped sometimes. Of course, there are other female characters who stay in the system and try to work with it, like Lady Bridgerton, Lady Featherington, Lady Cowper and Cressida Cowper. However, the characters who work to break the patriarchal systems that confine them are much more interesting. Let’s get to these 7 feisty feminists and the lessons they bring (spoiler alert):

1. Fighting tradition: Daphne Bridgerton. Although Daphne’s character is initially seen as someone who is succumbing to society’s pressures to come out into society and find a husband, which she does as the season’s diamond, Daphne is wise and complex. She wants to explore, understand and face situations, such as trying out self-pleasure, wanting to know how babies are conceived, chastising her mother for not giving her education about sex, challenging her husband lovingly to overcome his trauma, and working hard to make her marriage work. She tires of men, including her brother Anthony, who think they know what’s best for her. In wanting to chart her own course amid social pressure, Daphne earns the title of budding feminist. She teaches us that it’s okay to challenge traditional parenting, especially when it harms you or your loved ones.
2. Graceful Wisdom: Edwina Sharma. Although, like Daphne, Edwina appears at first to be docile and conforming to society’s demands (she also becomes the diamond of the season (in Season 2) and seeks to secure Anthony as a husband because of the secure life he can give her), she carries a quiet independence too. She is well-educated and loves her own company. She speaks to Anthony of being content in her own pursuits, which evidences a wise and detached approach to romance that few young women could muster under those social conditions and at that age. In her balance between being agreeable and self-assured, Edwina subtly shines as someone with the potential to be a rule-breaker. When she soothes the King, she reveals wisdom beyond her years. When she gives a pep talk each to Kate and Anthony in church, she reveals how her authenticity has overcome her desire to fit in. She shows us that it’s important to be in a loving relationship with yourself so you don’t depend on anyone else for happiness.
3. Feminist Rebel: Eloise Bridgerton. Eloise cannot be examined without attention to her extreme social anxiety, and yet her most endearing quality is her sharp tongue and confident exposure of all the patriarchal woes plaguing women: women are treated as inferior; they are expected to display themselves and attract a rich husband, marry and bear children; women cannot own property or make decisions. Eloise is the equivalent of the feminist activist at a rally who wields the megaphone: she is blunt and unafraid to raise important feminist issues. Eloise helps us see that it’s important to challenge the status quo for women as the first step of forging a better way.
4. Stealth Gossip Stirrer: Penelope Featherington aka Lady Whistledown. Penelope appears, on the surface, the weakest of the weak in terms of societal status. She is the daughter of a cunning woman, youngest of three sisters, overweight, and mostly overlooked at balls and other gatherings, except by Eloise, with whom she shares a deep friendship. Penelope is in love with Colin Bridgerton, who is in love with Marina Thompson. So, Penelope bears the pain of unrequited love. However, Penelope is admirable and powerful as Lady Whistledown, writing her column filled with her observations in society. Information is her power, as the content she publishes influences everyone who reads it. She is also a great example of a prolific female entrepreneur, who, at a tender age, is accumulating money from the sale of her publications. Penelope, through Lady Whistledown, demonstrates that power can be held in any position if we have the right information and know how to use it.
5. Woman of Mystery: Genevieve DelaCroix. No one really knows the history behind this modiste (dressmaker) with the (fake) French accent, but Madam DelaCroix makes her mark as an entrepreneur, a sexually liberated woman, and an ally to Lady Whistledown. She is a creative person who quietly controls her life, saying no when she wants, and wielding power in an understated way. She hints that in a world where we refrain from our typical prejudice, sexual liberation and strong boundaries are desirable traits in a feminist woman leader.
6. Feminist Strategist: Lady Danbury. On the surface, Lady Danbury is a widow with a limp, which may sound unremarkable. However, she is the woman who raised Simon and helped him overcome his stammer and maintain ethical leadership as a duke, influenced the Queen on multiple occasions (including having her name Edwina Sharma as the season’s diamond in Season 2), helping Kate come to terms with her feelings, not to mention her matchmaking prowess. She is a woman of power, who is confident, wealthy, and very aware of the privilege granted to people of color by the now mentally ill king. She’s a wonderful example of feminist leadership that is strong, strategic, and wise. She teaches us that strategy and influence are crucial markers of leadership.
7. Bold Badass: Kate (Kathani) Sharma. Kate comes along and blasts men’s notions of women to smithereens. She grew up in India where she learned to ride, shoot and hunt, and can basically match wits with anyone. She is confident, discerning, outspoken, and undeterred by patriarchal constraints (although she is over-masculinized, and I will address this in another post on trauma patterns). She is not afraid to call Anthony out, for instance, when he scoffs at her shooting ability before they go hunting. She is also stoically single, carrying the burden of society’s judgments. To be sure, she does eventually marry, but Kate does life on her own terms (Anthony concedes that he must humble himself before her) and that is badass indeed. Kate role models what it’s like to be a feminist: treat everyone as equals, and demand to be treated as an equal too.

These feminist characters make Bridgerton irresistible, because of the change being brought to this historically patriarchal world. The lessons learned, as you have seen above, are powerful.

Stay tuned for our Perilous Parenting series, which shares some of these themes and much more, as we look at how parenting shapes our lives. That’s next.