S3, Ep. 10: The Beautiful Crowd

Mandi talks about 3 social issues brought up by the Netflix series, Bridgerton!

WARNING: There is mature content in this episode that is not suitable for children. This episode may also be triggering for survivors of sexual harassment, abuse, and/or assault.

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Transcript

Mandi: Mandi Frantz here welcoming you to my podcast - Find Your Beautiful: Life Through the Eyes of a Christian Disabled Woman.  

[Upbeat Background Music]

Mandi: A very happy February to you all! I'm recording this episode in the midst of unpacking my new humble abode. I can't wait for my Virtual Housewarming Party that is happening next Thursday at 9pm EST. If you are not subscribed to my website as a VIB (Very Important Beauty) yet, then hurry and sign up today because the exclusive details of this event are going out to my subscribers tomorrow morning! 

As for today's episode, I am putting the spoiler alert and trigger warnings right here. We are going to be talking about Bridgerton today, Netflix's steamy show Executive Produced by the fabulous Shonda Rhimes. We'll be delving into 3 pretty heavy topics from the show, so I encourage you to watch the full season before going on here and to understand that survivors of sexual assault, abuse, and/or harassment may be triggered by part of this discussion.

Before I get into the 3 main topics, I want to give a high-level overview of things I really appreciated about the series. First, the cast diversity and the actors selected are phenomenal. While this clearly strays from history, I loved the casting choices and the dynamic chemistry between the different characters. I also loved the classical twists on popular songs. It made the show feel relevant to today, while staying with the Regency theme. I know the steamy sex scenes was heavy for some people, but I appreciated their purpose in the development of the story and characters and the fact that the show aimed to illustrate authentic intimate experiences.

My last note before going in on this are that this episode in no way attempts to address all of the social issues that can be discussed based on the show. I will not touch on the Opera singer, the lack of sexual education given to women, the issue of abortion, and many others. Here I will focus on these 3 things:

1. The Black Queen

2. Disability in media

3. #HimToo

So here we go! 

    

[Mandi voices Ad (ads change and will vary)]

[Doorbell Sound Effect]

Mandi: The title of this episode is The Beautiful Crowd. In French, this translates to le beau monde, which was the equivalent to le bonne ton, meaning etiquette, in the nineteenth century. This first season of Bridgerton follows the ton Season, in which marriageable young ladies were presented by their parents at social gatherings in hopes of arranging profitable marriages. Again, many issues will not be addressed here, but I was very pleased to see the formidable Queen played by Goulda Rosheuvel, a Guyanese-British actress in her early 50s. This alone breaks so many molds and makes me excited! 

I was even more excited when I learned that the there is some historical context, and controversy, in Bridgerton that can be delved into by looking at the real Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, a small north-German duchy that was in the Roman Empire. Mario Valdes, a researcher who specializes in Black history and imagery, believes that Queen Charlotte has African ancestry via a 15-generation ascent to Madragana, a mistress, or concubine, to King Alfonso III of Portugal. Madragana, according to a 16th century Portuguese royal chronicler named Duarte Nunes de Leao, was a Moor. While this was later disputed in the 18th century by Antonio Caetano de Sousa, Valdes holds onto this belief and suggests that this African ancestry explains why several well-known people took negative note of Queen Charlotte's facial features and skin color. If this connection is real and true, then this means that the British royal family has African ancestry, though based on a response to the Boston Globe, Buckingham Palace has no interest in pursuing information on this "rumor."

I bring this up, though, as a social issue because while Bridgerton clearly shows divide among classes, the line between races seems much more blurred, which does not accurately represent Britain's history. As America was borne from Britain, it is important to keep the stronghold of racism that our Founding Fathers imposed in this country top of mind. Sadly, racism has not been abolished and many of the actors in Bridgerton would have only been allowed to participate in the Season as slaves. Let's continue speaking out against racism and creating a world where the love that Simon and Daphne share can truly flourish.

The next issue, and you had to see this coming, is Simon's stutter. I very much appreciated that Simon's father portrayed a pretty accurate response to disability at the time. People with disabilities, across all classes, but especially the high-class, were not only frowned upon, but shunned from society. While I feel the show did well in showing the attitude towards disability in the relationship, or lack thereof, between Simon and his father, I believe Bridgerton was too casual in presenting a "cured" Simon. It is true, as President Biden has shown, that there are techniques people who stutter can learn to help mitigate it, but this is all done off screen. This frustrated me because we never get a true understanding of the work Simon put in and it appears that by the time he reaches adulthood, he never struggles with stuttering. 

I believe authentic representation of disability in media is crucial to helping to destigmatize it and normalize disability as part of the human experience. If a show attempts to shine a light in any way on disability, then I think it's just as important to shine that same light on the process a person goes through to adapt to a world not designed for the disabled. To this end, I feel that Bridgerton came up short.

Finally, the last social issue I want to address today was brought up by a scene that I was truly appalled to watch. I'm a huge supporter of all people, not just women, having the right to not be sexually harassed, abused, or assaulted. I believe sexual assault can occur in any relationship, including marriages. When an individual says no, or stop, at any point during intimacy, that revokes consent and any continuation of intimacy is a violation. A lot of people will scream at the top of their lungs in support of this right for women, but voices tend to be quieter when it comes to men. 

In 2006, sexual harassment survivor and activist, Tarana Burke, first used the phrase "Me Too" on MySpace, I know, that's a real throwback. According to Burke, "Me Too" started as a movement to "empower women through empathy and solidarity through strength in numbers, especially young and vulnerable women, by visibly demonstrating how many women survived sexual assault and harassment, especially in the workplace." After the wide-spread sexual-abuse allegations against Harvey Weinstein started streaming in, the hashtag went viral. In 2017, Alyssa Milano used her Twitter to encourage women to post #MeToo if they were survivors to demonstrate how big the problem is.

While Tarana Burke has stated on multiple occasions that this movement now embraces all survivors of sexual-abuse and assault, we rarely see men, or really anyone who doesn't identify as female, coming out to voice their experiences as much. In 2017, #HimToo took on new meaning. For some, this hashtag was used in the same way #MeToo was, but for men to have a platform to be empowered and find strength in numbers. However, this hashtag got convoluted as it was also used to call out male perpetrators. 

I researched some statistics on sexual assault against men and was astounded. According to Rainn.org, 1 out of every 10 rape victims are male and as of 1998, 2.78 million men in the U.S. had been victims of attempted or completed rape. 

This is a horrific problem all around and the scene where Daphne forces Simon to ejaculate in her was very triggering. We see his panicked face and hear him withdraw consent. In my opinion, we witness her character raping his. To me, there is no justification for a woman violating a man. I fight for human rights, no matter how you identify or your orientation.

I know this episode got a bit heavy, but I feel these issues are too pressing to ignore, especially as I know I'm looking forward to season 2 of Bridgerton!

 

[Bling]

Mandi: I'm dying to hear all your Bridgerton feedback, whether you share thoughts on what I addressed here, or anything other aspects of the show. Download the Anchor mobile app and leave me a voice message.

And this is your friendly reminder to head over to the FYB Shop. The beautifully engraved Find Your Beautiful Necklace is only available for 1 more week! Don't forget, a portion of all proceeds from the shop is being donated to KEEN New York, a non-profit organization empowering youth with disabilities by providing free programs of exercise, fitness, and fun led by volunteer coaches. You can learn more about KEEN by visiting keennewyork.org (New York spelled out, not abbreviated).

If you enjoyed this episode, leave a review wherever you listen or on my Facebook page at MandiBox Beauty. You can also connect with me on Instagram with the same handle. 

[Mandi voiceover to 'Compton' music]: I have an amazing episode planned for Valentine's Day, a love and disability story you won't want to miss! ‘Til next time Beauties.