Bridgerton: Eloise is the series’ feminist failure - but that’s what makes her so real

Claudia Jessie as Eloise in Bridgerton (Image via Netflix)
Claudia Jessie as Eloise in Bridgerton (Image via Netflix)

Bridgerton is one of those period dramas that would instantly make you want to travel through time to the Regency era. The show has no dearth of women who are inspiring and daring enough for that particular time period. But Eloise is a character who stands apart from the rest. She isn’t the graceful debutante or the hopeless romantic. She is loud, restless, and always asking questions. She laughs at marriage, argues with her mother, and refuses to settle for the life society expects of her.

From the very first season, it is clear that she wants more than pretty gowns and love proposals. But that is also where her struggle begins. Because for all her talk about freedom, Eloise never really escapes the cage she hates. She keeps walking around it. She keeps pretending she’s above it. But she never actually walks out.

Eloise stands apart from the rest in Bridgerton because of her honesty. She doesn’t know how to be the 'perfect feminist' or the 'perfect woman' according to society. She tries and fails, and then she tries again. She befriends Theo Sharpe, who was a printer. He talked about women’s rights, and in him she found someone who finally understands her.

Yet, they don't end up together due to class differences. It could be that when Penelope is revealed as Lady Whistledown, Eloise gets angry not only because of the betrayal but also because it forces her to face her own limits. She realizes that being different is easy to say. But equally hard to live.

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Bridgerton: Eloise’s 'failure' is what makes her so relatable

Bridgerton doesn’t paint Eloise as a bold heroine. It shows her as a work in progress. Her rebellion is very much real. But she plays it safe. She questions the Ton while still living comfortably within it. She can afford to mock marriage because she has the security of her family name. Perhaps that is what makes her story so believable.

Eloise has the luxury to resist marriage in a world where many women have no choice but to marry. Yet she doesn’t know what to do with that freedom. She does not seem like the woman who breaks the system, at least not yet. But she knows and realizes how hard it actually is to do so.

Pride gets in the way of her ideals. And we know that when we watch her friendship with Penelope fall apart. She talks about truth and honesty. But she is unable to accept Penelope’s secret. Her moral high ground is, all of a sudden, shaky. It is one of the few times Bridgerton allows a female friendship to be messy and relatable. Their fight then becomes about power and judgment.

Eloise’s disappointment isn’t only at Penelope. It is also at herself for not being brave enough to do what her friend did. For not being able to actually act instead of just talking. Her connection with Theo shows the same pattern. She wants to be part of something bigger. But when real risk appears, she pulls back. It is because she’s afraid. Bridgerton captures that fear so well.

It seems like she has the fear of stepping out of comfort, of losing the safety of being a Bridgerton, of becoming someone society laughs at. That makes her character relatable. She does not embody the perfect symbol of rebellion. She is but a person who tries to change. She stumbles but keeps learning. That is more real than any happily-ever-after.


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Edited by Parishmita Baruah