Over the past few weeks, after Netflix released the highly anticipated drama on Christmas day, ‘Bridgerton’ has been the talk of the nation, as our modern generation plunges into the snobbish, yet romantic Regency era, following the captivating, flourishing relationship of debutante Daphne Bridgerton and Simon Bassett. In the book and the series, Its focus is on the love journey between these two, as Daphne especially transgresses the strict societal pressures of being a beautiful, naive young woman in a world of high expectations. Whilst Simon and Daphne’s love begins courtly, it blooms into a passionate yet dangerous affair, as Daphne must hide the fact she has been immoral, and Simon has to overcome his obstinate promise to never marry. 

 

So, ‘Bridgerton’ is just another romance, but why then, has it broken Netflix’s record of receiving over 82 million streams? This lavish period drama has invested the world, due to not only the engrossing relationship between Daphne and Simon, but also because it includes some subtle modern references too, capturing the attention of our generation. For example, at many of the balls that take place, the series has taken a modern twist on the background music by including stringed renditions of hit pop songs ‘Thank You Next’ and ‘In My Blood’. Additionally, the anonymous ‘Lady Bridgerton’ who writes a scandalous newspaper, mirrors the anonymous voice in the popular series ‘Gossip Girl’.

 

‘Bridgerton’ has also brought light to the Regency era (1811-1820), where the talk of the city was on what lady would be securing a coveted marriage next, and seeing how each woman would react to an arranged courtship. The show designed thousands of elaborate, embellished dresses for the ladies, which I can say, I think we all envy Daphne for that matter. The final factor which has made this period drama a memorable one is the diversity of the cast, something that has been highly praised by viewers, such as Kela who states that it was ‘beautiful to see colour and diversity’.

 

Amidst the craze of ‘Bridgerton’, the series has brought about new trends that have been flooding social media to do with hobbies, fashion items and homewares. Since its release, there has been a rise in demand for afternoon tea sets to corsets by 39%. So it seems this ‘Bridgerton effect’ is not a conspiracy, as viewers crave a taste of the Bridgerton’s sumptuous lifestyle.