Bridgerton Season 3 Must Change Penelope’s Story To Avoid A Huge Issue
In a surprising turn, it was recently announced that Bridgerton season 3 will be skipping ahead in the book order to tell of Colin Bridgerton and Penelope’s romance next. Though it is unclear why the Netflix series is breaking from author Julia Quinn’s order, this means that Bridgerton’s Penelope and her alter-ego, Lady Whistledown, will take center stage as Quinn’s Romancing Mr. Bridgerton is brought to screen. Quinn’s book, however, changes Penelope in a way that the Netflix series must avoid at risk of harmful messaging.
Many classic tropes of the romance genre are prominently featured throughout Quinn’s writing, with the author seemingly striving not to break the mold, but to capitalize on it. Bridgerton seasons 1 and 2 tell the classic enemies-to-lovers story with season 1’s Daphne and Simon falling in love despite their conflict as well as season 2’s Anthony and Kate. And while the first two Bridgerton romances have been unfolding, viewers have been guided by Penelope (Nicola Coughlan) who is always watching and perpetually overlooked. This too is building into a romance trope—the age-old, ugly-duckling turned beautiful swan story that will play out in the forthcoming book and Bridgerton season 3.
Related: Bridgerton True Story: Was Lady Whistledown A Real Person?
The problem, however, is that Penelope’s transformation in the source material is fueled by her weight loss. Described in Quinn’s early books as “cloaked in baby fat,” “round,” and “plump,” Penelope loses nearly 30 lbs. in Romancing Mr. Bridgerton before Colin notices her and their romance begins to take shape. It is a fatphobic storyline with the plot suggesting that Bridgerton’s Penelope must lose weight in order to be loved and this element should
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