Plus-size romantic leads are onerous to return by nowadays, no less than plus-size romantic leads which have pursuits outdoors of diets and whose most important character trait shouldn’t be “forgive me for being fats”. For that, I’ll all the time applaud Bridgerton’s Penelope Featherington.
I admire having a posh non-skinny romantic main girl (I’ve a little bit of a problem with calling Penelope “fats”, though I’ll use the phrase to make a degree; she’s visibly bigger than her costars, certain however she’s not fats by any means and her physique kind would’ve really been the popular silhouette on the time!).
Fats ladies—like Penelope is made out to be—are advanced: we wish love, we’ve been ignored, and we might be the perfect of buddies and the worst of the villains all on the similar time. We’re insanely proficient and have hobbies and pursuits. It’s virtually as if (gasp!) we’re precise folks. Who would’ve thought?
In Nicola Coughlan’s portrayal of the youngest Featherington sister, we see a fats character with depth and layers that we, as viewers, get to peel off and sit with, nevertheless uncomfortable these layers could also be. Penelope is, sadly, one of many few alternatives that bigger ladies have of seeing well-rounded (pun meant, clearly!), completed characters on the display, whose lives don’t revolve round obsessing over their weight or physique dimension or discovering a husband who will “put up” with their fatness.
She is aware of she’s a catch—even when the remainder of the Ton doesn’t appear to agree along with her—and for that alone, she’ll all the time have a particular place in my coronary heart. Due to this multifaceted portrayal of a fats lady, we get to see each her “good” and “unhealthy” sides. All of us have these not-so-great elements of our personalities, and I for one am glad that the great, unhealthy, and in-between of a fierce fats lady’s character is being proven so notoriously.
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That being mentioned, I can not stand the woman. I do know we’re presupposed to root for her—particularly as a result of that is her season—however attempt as I’ll I merely can not get previous the harm she triggered Eloise. As I become older I notice that my friendships with ladies are the one factor that has saved me sane by all of it. For many of us, males have come and gone; we’ve had our dance playing cards full of suitors whose names we will now not keep in mind.
Attempt as I’ll I merely can not get previous the harm she triggered Eloise. As I become older I notice that my friendships with ladies are the one factor that has saved me sane by all of it.
We’ve gotten one another by breakups, miscarriages, dishonest scandals, divorces, weddings, despair, work promotions, graduations, new companies, motherhood… In fact, I’ve written about them at size, they play such a giant position in who I’m as a lady they usually have been current in all the large moments in my life, however it’s all the time with their consent and enter; they all the time get the ultimate phrase on what can or can’t be utilized in my writing. As a author myself—a fats author who’s felt like an outcast for a giant a part of her life, similar to Penelope—I can not fathom the concept of utilizing the information I’ve on any of them for private acquire; no less than not with out together with them in my ploys.
Sadly, I’ve been the place Eloise is (and Marina was in season 1): I’ve been the buddy who gave her all and trusted a so-called “closest buddy” and confidante solely to have that belief and love used towards me. Regardless of how a lot I wished to be enthusiastic about Penelope and Colin’s love story, I merely couldn’t get previous her earlier transgressions.
It wasn’t simply what she did to Eloise, although. All through the collection, she’s demonstrated that she’s not somebody that may be trusted. Her betrayal of Marina, her betrayal of Eloise, that scathing “assessment” she wrote about Collin on S3E1 when she was offended at him… The woman has a monitor report for lashing out and utilizing her powers to crush these closest to her somewhat than to assist them navigate the complexities of being a member of a gossipy society such because the Ton.
How can she be trusted to not activate these round her and use her Woman Whistledown energy to harm extra folks anytime she’s offended at somebody? In any case, if she’d been so careless along with her soulmate’s (I consider our buddies are our true soulmates) love and belief, might she actually be trusted with Colin’s? Is somebody so manipulative, untrustworthy, and self-absorbed actually deserving of the eye of one of many Ton’s most eligible bachelors? No, not in my view.
I like seeing fats characters as romantic and sexual (fats ladies love intercourse, too! The carriage scene in episode 4 led to a extremely popular FaceTime name with somebody I in all probability shouldn’t have been texting once more, however the Bridgerton affect was a powerful one) leads in mainstream media. Hell sure, give us extra of that please! Watching Penelope and Colin’s friendship and eventual proposal unfold on my display healed that outdated fantasy of mine—the one each fats woman has and is pressured to push deep into the darkest nooks of our minds—of ending up with my male finest buddy.
Do I feel Penelope deserved to get the man and have her completely happy ending (once more, pun meant)? Completely not. Penelope deserved spinsterhood, or no less than not somebody as form and caring as Colin Bridgerton. Not as a result of she’s fats or ugly, because the Ton appeared to contemplate (who would really consider Nicola is something however completely breathtaking is past me), however as a result of she’s simply not a pleasant individual. I’ll die on this hill—but additionally, I can’t watch for half two. Can or not it’s June already?!