Netflix’s newest series Bridgerton is being called out for failing to address the lack of consent given in the show’s extremely controversial rape scene.
WARNING: THIS STORY CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR BRIDGERTON S1
The series, which is essentially just ye olde Gossip Girl, was adapted from Julia Quinn’s novel The Duke And I, which was written back in the year 2000. Bridgerton tackles a number of serious and relevant topics like feminism, sexuality and racism, but tells the story through the eyes of early 19th century England.
Obviously, it’s important to be accurate to that period in history when developing the show, but viewers are particularly annoyed that the showrunners didn’t handle sexual consent better when the topic came up.
The moment that upset fans, and rightfully so, happens when Daphne Bridgerton (the series’ protagonist) learns about pregnancy and basically tries to force her husband to impregnate her against his own wishes.
In episode six, Daphne develops a plan to get pregnant, which essentially involves raping her husband by sitting on top of him so he can’t remove himself during sex (despite clearly trying to).
The scene is particularly jarring because it could’ve been a great opportunity for the showrunners to discuss situations in which men are the victims of rape, a conversation that usually assumes the woman is the victim.
Whether it was Daphne, or her husband, who committed the offence, the show *really* should’ve dealt with it better.
It is worth noting that the scene is adapted from equally-controversial moments in the book, however, the moment was altered slightly for television.
Obviously, the book was published in the year 2000, when the conversation around rape (especially when men are the victims, or when two parties are married) was incredibly different.
However, fans were shocked that the showrunners chose to even include the scene at all, considering that consent is at the forefront of a lot of our conversations in 2020. 20 years ago, the author had the ability to plead ignorance over the events, but in today’s society, there’s really no excuse for handling such a serious and traumatic topic so haphazardly.
tw : rape, sexual assault
not stopping when a person asks you to stop and making them come in you isn’t some quirky mistake or a gotcha! moment wtf #Bridgerton
— the hundred staff writer 🪞 (@miathermopollis) December 26, 2020
#Bridgerton is making me realize how much we’ve failed to educate folks on how rape happens to men. So just a few quick reminders:
— Lori Carriere (@LoriCarriere) December 26, 2020
https://twitter.com/hannahheartsro1/status/1341378363869581314
tw: rape
this is just another reminder and psa, that #bridgerton has an onscreen rape scene of a black man. do be careful when recommending it to people and if you plan on watching it, be careful with episode 6.
— em/zainab 🌷 (@eminwords) December 26, 2020
Help is available.
If you require immediate assistance, please call 000.
If you’d like to speak to someone about sexual violence, please call the 1800 Respect hotline on 1800 737 732 or chat online.
Under 25? You can reach Kids Helpline at 1800 55 1800 or chat online.
