bridgerton diversity reddit
Premiered Dec 25, 2020. Color blind casting would have been similar to Brandy's Cinderella where you had an Asian son with a black mother and a white father. 2 actresses to provide representation versus the 7 actors that are white. Why can’t we have nice things? does not mean the show doesn't merit discussion around diversity and how it can be improved, but most of the points in OPs post don't really seem rational. A step forward, to be sure, but it’s quite dismissive for others in here to essentially say we should like what scraps we can get. If we’re dissatisfied with the representation, then what kind of representation did we truly get? Of course I'm sorry if it came across as dictating what people should think or demand but I really think it does a disservice to the diversity issues which are far more important than which characters on a show end up with whom. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Tumblr Pinterest Reddit Skype WhatsApp Telegram Viber … Also, I want to point out that side character is not synonymous with token character. During the 18th century, London had an extremely organized subculture of gay men meeting at private events to socialize and sleep with other men. This show is based on the Bridgerton book series by Julia Quinn. All that you’ve mentioned about them is in the past, but what are they doing now? Lots of times the story comes close but it eventually gets dropped into obscurity. The point is not to look exclusively at Marina but to look at her through the lenses of other characters like Daphne, Eloise, Penelope etc. Her resolution was also super unsatisfying because of how grim and loveless it was... and this is a romance series! They don’t fall in love or have any visible family members. Reddit LinkedIn WhatsApp Email ... as the society’s diversity is explained by a storyline within the show. And if you had Simon be played by a white actor then people would be complaining because how come the black woman is marrying a white man. Not complaining. She may be admirable but her life started with no redeeming qualities and ended that way. Marina on the other hand is a victim who ultimately just acts as a burden to the featheringtons. Bridgerton, whose massive wave of popularity is showing no signs of subsiding, is now Netflix’s biggest series ever by a wide margin.It pushed down to … Discussion of the show Bridgerton on Netflix. heck we see absolutely no Asian or Latino characters AT ALL but there is hardly as much discussion about it. Just the fact that you said the whole show would change if Daphne was Black proves that “color” is always part of the conversation even when it’s not. We don’t see their pasts or their range of emotions. I’ve said it over and over again that I like the show and the characters. I was hoping we would get a glimpse of some “multidimensionality” with Will and his wife but their plot ended up being really inconsequential as it was kind of shoveled in last minute. Discussion of the show Bridgerton on Netflix. The situation between her and George really meant anything and the stakes were never high enough to be fully invested into the story since it was pretty clear George was never coming around anyway. In Bridgerton, you have 4 of the major households black (Simon's, Queen, Danbury, Will's). Created by Chris Van Dusen. Each book in this eight book historical romance series features a member of the Bridgerton family. She is cold and unlikeable with no other side to her being explored. It’s the same stereotype you would see in any modern tv show no matter how much you like the character. For the most part, the Black women in this show are either insignificant to the overall plot of the story or fall into the “undesirable/unlikeable/unattractive” bunch. This sumptuous Regency-era series is here to cheer us all up. Because the porn industry has infected media, that’s why. But the reality is the series is not an exact replica of the books. Just the fact that we’re willing to watch season 2 means that we like the content yet still are looking for improvements. The first season consists of eight episodes with a runtime of 57-72 minutes each. It’s better than nothing. Each book in this eight book historical romance series features a member of the Bridgerton family. Like for instance when I watch this show I do not recognize or see a problem with Marina or a poc being a single mother. The do not exist apart from everyone else’s drama. In essence (no pun intended), making the entire cast black is not really the point because it isn’t about “color”. With Phoebe Dynevor, Regé-Jean Page, Nicola Coughlan, Jonathan Bailey. Her character was used to progress two white character's storylines. Like why don’t we see her being occasionally soft like Violet Bridgerton? It’s not until she’s forced to seduce Colin that she actually makes progression towards anything. I also do not believe for one second the show was aiming to show that a dark-skinned male should or could be villainized. Either way, the point I’m making is not “more black characters”, the point I’m making is more “diverse/feminine black characters”. That shows more self-awareness than the silly “nuh-uh, look at alllll the black people what are you talking about?” responses. One thing Bridgerton does do wonderfully are with their poc characters the queen, Simon, and Lady Danbury. I think it’s okay to be appreciative the inclusion yet still want more from the representation. For all her “strength” who really wants to be Marina at the end of the day? The story primarily revolves around them. Bridgerton review: Netflix’s romantic period drama is an utter joy. Thank you ! The queen gets glimpses of character development throughout the season but she doesn’t go through much transformation in the end (hopefully we see it in season 2). When you boil it down, Marina is still basically the black single mom who got knocked up and left (before you realize he’s dead). It can shape and reinforce cultural beliefs and attitudes about race and ethnicity. I would have definitely been more interested in that. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. (Queen and Danbury). Daphne being black should really have no effect on the show because it is about romance and black people fall in love just like every other race. I think we’re making progress, but it’s important to recognize that there are still limits so we can work on moving them. You have Marina, who is desirable, and not just strong but also shows heartbreak - first when she thinks that George doesn't want anything to do with her, then when she finds out that he died, she shows she wants love and the best for her child when she goes after Colin, moments of weakness when she tries to end her pregnancy, and later explains to Colin why she tried to trick him - she's not just a strong black woman, she's quite complex. is different from seeing from, for instance, UK's p.o.v. Even Granville has layers to him that get explored in increments that are important to the plot, however minor they are at first. If including Black people in their cast was for us, then let us see us. From race to incels, the modern "Bridgerton" twists hold a mirror up to today's shortcomings Showrunner Chris Van Dusen spoke to Salon … Amen to this! I suppose they might not kill off marina and have George turn up, I understood that they first wrote the storyline and then cast „colorblind“ (more or less. What you’re saying about Asian representation is also absolutely true. The story didn’t even bother explaining to us where she’s going. More posts from the BridgertonNetflix community. They are tokenist because although their statuses are different, they are still “strong black women who don’t need no man”. [Editor’s Note: The following contains light spoilers for Julia Quinn’s “Bridgerton” series of novels, elements of which might wind up in Season 2 of the show.] I think Regé is a very beautiful man and did a great portrayal of Simon, but I also recognize that part of his success in this role is because he has a lighter complexion. When you criticize Marina or her storyline people are ready to point their finger at you, ready to call you racist and such all the while you don't think or have the same stereotypes they assume you do. Bridgerton wants to have Black characters while handwaving the reality of racism. && yeah, they could have made Marina a well-rounded character, but they made her a villain in Penelope's love story with Collin. Regé-Jean Page as Simon Basset and Phoebe Dynevor as Daphne Bridgerton in "Bridgerton" on Netflix. I mean, none of them even get a happy ending! England is 3% Black. She is introduced very strongly but after a while we notice that she is never explored outside of being the “shamed pregnant” woman. Press J to jump to the feed. And also the diversity in this show so far has been just black women and men (important characters), no other ethnicities. Based on Julia Quinn's bestselling "Bridgerton" novels, chronicling the eight Bridgerton siblings as they find true love in British high society in the 1810s, Season 1 … Although the role for Marina was open casting and they went with the best actress. I should say that I like the queen very much but once again she is undesirable. This doesn't seem to be about diversity, but the concern that the call for diversity is causing people to discuss and advocate for changes in canon. When they first introduced her as being super desirable and charming, it was like “Oh, a challenger has arrived!” She could’ve been Daphne’s competition and filled Cressida’s role with the Prince... but instead, they chose to reinforce negative stereotypes and went with the unplanned pregnancy route in order to expose the Bridgerton girls’ naivety with respect to how babies are made and then later as a “scandal” to bring Daphne and Simon back to London so they could have their respective maternal figures guide them toward resolving their marital dispute. What can we learn about Diversity & Inclusion in the Netflix series “Bridgerton”? I can respect your opinion but I do believe there’s a space between having a big storyline and just being monochromatic side character. However when she feels like he doesn’t want her anymore she just kind of sulks. The diversity in Netflix hit ‘Bridgerton’ is the result of ‘color blind casting’ Source link The diversity in Netflix hit ‘Bridgerton’ is the result of ‘color blind casting’ colinmiller January 22, 2021. How does she feel about being locked away for so long and losing her relationship to Colin? The single black mother character is such a bad stereotype. There is a post about Marina maybe being a stereotype - black teen pregnancy, which maybe is true, but doesn't have to be the case in other countries. This really disappointed me because I liked their relationship and wanted to see more of it. Now either way I think she is an amazing character and I love watching her, but I think she should get some soft moments as well like Eloise does. Would they be more sexy? I was expecting her to have her Cinderella moment but she basically stayed in the cellar the entire time. I feel as tho they definitely dropped the ball with her character but hopefully she comes back next season for some kind of redemption. I am honestly confused as to why people don't look at the characters as they are beyond the color/race or ethnicity they have. They are minor characters. Same goes for indian people born in Britan, Canada etc. I believe I can appreciate the work and enjoy it while still examining the implications being swept under the rug. Like I said, who or what is she now? For the most part, the Black women in this show are either insignificant to the overall plot of the story or fall into the “undesirable/unlikeable/unattractive” bunch. I wouldn’t have bothered with the Queen if they hadn’t mentioned George’s dementia. I think that the criticism of Marina’s character is really valid. I know the diversity of the cast has been celebrated in this show, and rightfully so, but it should be stated that while it was good intentioned, it definitely still has its issues. One can simply say: “Hmm, I didn’t look at it that way. It means being underdeveloped and indistinguishable in overall symbolism and influence of the story. As for Lady Danbury, I love how strong and esteemed she is... but I can see how the portrayal also reinforces the “strong, sassy black woman” stereotype. The Netflix hit departs from the homogeneous casting of most period drama, imagining a 19th-century Britain with Black royalty and aristocrats. "Are there no good black men?". Looks like you're using new Reddit on an old browser. “We put black people IN the show. The whole second episode is her being soft with baby Simon. I see what you mean about perspective but that’s not what I’m talking about. It is definitely a leap forward and I can commend that, but my intention is to observe them from the angle of execution not intent. If you see comments in violation of our rules, please report them. It is just one regency show. American poc viewers may see Marina as a stereotype black single mom, which may not be the case, for instance, for the britsh audience or the rest of the world, where single moms stereotypes are more about class, being poor, than race. Premiered Dec 25, 2020. Just as you were explaining it, it became clear that Marina’s story and her trauma just became a gateway for Daphne to both find resolution and still be the “white savior”. They continue to play the same roles over and over with no room for growth. Once that fails and George is revealed to be dead, she’s ultimately left nowhere as a character. The point is that these Black women are all merely plot devices for the story and act as either supporters or antagonists to the main characters. They have made changes, and even if we end up in the same place as the books it doesn't mean we are all going to agree. Discussion of the show Bridgerton on Netflix. It’s not just about representation, it’s about what these characters symbolize and if they communicate a bad message or are essentially just the “help” to white protagonists, then it’s not really progressive. Also; why did her father send her away? In the end, how much of an impact do these discussions have on what the writers will write anyway? Representation matters. Or say nothing at all. I truly wanted to know about them. I am a foreigner so while I am exposed to the dominant pop-culture since infancy and feel I can recognize the toxic perceptions that come with it, I may not always see through it as well as you do. Contrary to popular belief, Black people are not happy to just be “invited to the table”. A good example is the Queen who we get glimpses into, but never really see a development. Once again, and I can’t stess this enough, it’s okay to like the show and like the characters. We don’t see them overcome struggles or come to great enlightenments. US is 13% black. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns. Lady Danbury is indeed a strong character, and from what I understand she's alone because her husband is dead, but we also get to know that she hasn't always been that strong person, that she had to work to become the woman she's is now. What has been interesting in this post is seeing how blindly people expose themselves in terms of their social awareness. When focusing on Marina getting a HEA it's about the reality that for most black female characters it's rare a thing for that to occur. She’s just removed. She is all of these things and more to the audience. I guess that's why these discussions are happening. Bridgerton is an American streaming television period drama series created by Chris Van Dusen and produced by Shonda Rhimes.It is based on Julia Quinn's novels set in the competitive world of Regency era London's ton during the season, when debutantes are presented at court.Bridgerton is Shonda Rhimes's first scripted Netflix series. She essentially has no arc. And there worst excuse I hear is “well there’s just no time” or “it’s not accurate” when we’re dealing with a fictional world! It's why Regé as the Duke had such an impact. I can empathize with what you’re saying. Diversity in Bridgerton (here for it!) I COMPLETELY understand why people wanted more for her. Well you have to understand that there are a lot of damaging stereotypes that poc characters endure. There have been many criticisms over the historical inaccuracies of the costumes in “Bridgerton,” as well as questions over whether Britain in the 1800s was as diverse as the show’s casting. Be grateful! I just binged the show after a failed first attempt at watching, bc a podcast I respect mentioned a significant plot twist at the end. There is a difference in how this show handles black people and how shows like Hamilton does it (I can recognize this may be apples and oranges but this is just to explain that Bridgerton is not the first to have done this). Renewed for Season 2! Nicola Coughlan claps back at haters who criticized the diverse, inclusive cast of ‘Bridgerton,’ via Twitter. Premiered Dec 25, 2020. Of the three other "romances" we see 3 are mixed races. They have made changes, and even if we end up in the same place as the books it doesn't mean we are all going to agree. (Benedict and Colin), 1 is white (Anthony). But good representation really matters, where people of colour are not just the side script to the larger story. I imagine after daphne was cast the ship for the race of the other Bridgertons had sailed). Bridgerton diversity Entertainment entertainment news Netflix New England Cable News January 11, 2021 Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Tumblr Pinterest Reddit VKontakte Odnoklassniki Pocket Skype Messenger Messenger WhatsApp Telegram Viber Line Share via Email Print Lady Danbury acts as a Mr. Miyagi if you will but with no other description besides “she always says what’s on her mind to your face” because of course she does, that’s how older Black women are always portrayed. It can't possibly be held accountable or a magic touch for the past wrongdoings of American culture and history. Just wanna express how incredibly excited I am to see an ASIAN as a MAIN character. I only ask that you hear me out and read to the end before you comment cause this is gonna be long: DISCLAIMER: I should start by saying that I think having BIPOC people featured in the show was GREAT and I LOVED pretty much all of the characters, but I couldn’t deny that there was definitely some tokenism going on in here: Now I can only speak for myself, but me and my friends (all Black women) discussed this show, and we all agreed that it was nice to see Black women taking center roles at first, but after a while we picked up on some very “tokenist” vibes. They could have definitely had many girls of different races in important roles instead of making them background characters or “the example of what you don’t want to happen to you”. We can love the show for what it does good and critique it for what it does bad. As for the Queen and Lady Danbury, this is why I said the story gives us glimpses but ultimately shies away from going any deeper. The other households are Featherington, Bridgerton and Cowper. Regardless, to go into that is muddy waters and could really be it’s own discussion. No, I am saying it is not mutually exclusive to want and have diversity and still keep the storylines. Thank you for such a great response. But people who jump to defend something that isn’t under attack are not as “woke” as they believe themselves to be. Diversity, Costumes, Set! I am not grading Bridgerton nor am I classifying it as being either good or bad, I am simply analyzing it. Thank you, I am not American, and I find it unfair the discussions always end up around the race and not the storyline or journey of the character while the show is obviously trying to be more diverse and inclusive. But I just can’t ignore the fact that Daphne gets to be the “perfect” one who is the most pure yet desirable, sexy yet innocent with all these complex qualities and yet Marina who could have had the most engaging story just doesn’t do anything. If he was playing Berbrooke, the show would still be diverse but would it be as impactful? Like why don’t we see her being occasionally soft like Violet Bridgerton? US is 13% black. I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. I sometimes feel like people forget that the american view of poc experience/history/culture isn't world view, especially when it comes to a show set in regency England with britsh actors and shown in over 190+ countries. I have read several of Julia Quinn’s fanciful romance novels. It’s totally okay to like something and still see somethings wrong with it. As I’ve said, I like the majority of these characters and believe they were both casted and acted well. Discussion. Unlike with the diversity and feminism in Bridgerton, this aspect of the show wasn’t very embellished. They then use her to be a reflection for Daphne to learn from. Already he has more to look for than Danbury does. We’re totally being inclusive because we love diversity! Diversity Recruiting – What it is, and What isn’t And worst of all, at the end of the series she just gets shipped away as if she never existed. They go about this through courtship and marriage (and by attending many balls). Now while you may think “who cares about being likable or attractive” just think of how Daphne the heroine is portrayed. I just don’t feel like handing out A’s for effort no matter how much I like the show. But the reality is the series is not an exact replica of the books. Of the three other "romances" we see 3 … This doesn’t happen with the Black women. I don't find the queen just cold and unlikeable, she has her goals, she's bored, she's commanding since she's the queen, and we get to see her softer side, a bit of her personality when we find out about her husband, the king and him probably having dementia, her true feelings for him with them being friends who become husband and wife - they truly loved each other and then had a great loss - their daughter. I don’t really know how I could further explain this because it really runs so much deeper than just having more than one black female character. So you have the Queen, Lady Danbury, Marina, Genevieve Delacroix (and Will's wife) - all black women/characters, different backgrounds, ages, occupations, wealth etc. Where does she want to fit into society? Hi I’m also a black women and I think you might like this video I saw on YouTube. This show is based on the Bridgerton book series by Julia Quinn. What I am doing is trying to analyze this story as someone would analyze Shakespeare, Dickens or Wilde. Ginny is a “side character” in Harry Potter but she’s not a token White girl. compare to indians born in India - they're the same race/colour but different cultures and experiences. Token doesn’t mean not being different. This doesn't seem to be about diversity, but the concern that the call for diversity is causing people to discuss and advocate for changes in canon. I’m not sure that I agree, but I’m absorbing it nonetheless.”.