Should Bridgerton be That Progressive? Eloise's Future Might Be a Step Too Far
Reddit has sparked a lively debate amongst Bridgerton fans, regarding the fate of Eloise.
Some fans are of the view that since the show has made several alterations from the books already it would be perfectly reasonable to allow Eloise to attend university and get a job would be perfectly reasonable. But is that really the case? Should Bridgerton try to be that progressive? Let's consider what we know so far…
Eloise Bridgerton has become a firm fan-favourite among viewers, and with good reason.
She is rebellious, intelligent, strong-willed, and fierce. The last thing she wants in life is to follow in her elder sister's footsteps, finding the notion of marriage and childbirth horrifying. Her goal is to learn, to experience life to the fullest and to go against the norm of women in her era to truly be herself.
Now, it is easy for us in our modern society to applaud her, and indeed that is probably the reason she has become such a popular character. But everyone has perfect vision with hindsight, and we cannot forget what Regency-era England was like.
Women were not even permitted to attend university, and high-born women certainly would never have been allowed to have jobs. It was viewed as vulgar and beneath them to have to work for their money. Money was either inherited or acquired through marriage and no woman of high standing would ever have been allowed to consider employment.
But, should Bridgerton ignore these rules of the Regency era and go ahead with Eloise living life as she wants to anyway? We know that the show has taken several liberties in terms of adapting the source material, with many characters being aged-up to correct what television audiences would have likely deemed problematic age gaps. While this is outside the norm for the time period, this decision can certainly be forgiven.
Likewise, the diversity of the characters was well outside what was deemed "acceptable" during Regency-era England. In those days, only white and straight high-born people were accepted. Bridgerton has embraced a diverse cast of many cultures and colours, and now there are rumours swirling of a potential gay leading character.
Again, these changes from the books are viewed as welcome ones as it allows for more exciting stories, and for the audience to enjoy a wide variety of characters, rather than the standard, "cookie-cutter" type characters that were the norm in the Regency era.
Does this make Bridgerton too progressive? The general consensus is absolutely not. It is a series that has been embraced by viewers and thoroughly enjoyed. It has taken some liberties to enhance the stories, but it has not offered up anything so ridiculous that it would have been considered impossible for that era.
Still, sending Eloise to university and seeing her gain paid employment may be a step too far. If she were to attempt such an endeavor in secret, perhaps it could play out as an entertaining scandal. But beyond that, the feeling among fans is that permitting this course of action for Eloise would just simply be too progressive and be a slippery slope into even more far-fetched territory as the series continues.