Bridgerton: in a show full of sex, many of the characters know little about it – the real ladies of the ton weren’t so ignorant

By Meg Kobza, Newcastle University

Even if you’ve not watched the show, you’re likely to know that Bridgerton is filled with steamy scenes of lords and ladies, dukes and duchesses locked in passionate embraces. The third season, set in 1815, is as sexy as ever … for some.

One of this season’s major side plots is the Featherington family’s need for a male heir. With both Prudence (Bessie Carter) and Philippa (Harriet Cains) now married, Lady Featherington (Polly Walker) is desperate for one of her daughters to produce an heir and inherit the family estate. And time is of the essence. With questions arising over the authenticity of the inheritance document, the girls need to get to work before Lady Featherington’s schemes are uncovered.

Not one for patience, Lady Featherington regularly checks in with the girls about their pursuits and is quickly convinced they haven’t been “engaging in the, eh, necessary … activities”. She pursues the topic further and learns of Prudence’s dislike for the act of being “familiar with each other,” as it flattens her hair.

More shocking, however, is that it seems Philippa is entirely ignorant of how to have sex.

“Inserts himself? Inserts himself where?” she asks. Philippa explains that when she and Mr Finch lay together they kiss, he makes an odd sound and goes to change his breeches. Despite being married to Mr Finch for a year, the pair have still not had intercourse.

But how could this happen? How could Mr and Mrs Finch be so naive? Not knowing how babies are made has been a thread in Bridgerton since the first season. A woefully unprepared Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor) entered into marriage with Simon Basset (Regé-Jean Page), the Duke of Hastings, and felt betrayed when she found out that he had been withholding his “seed” and denying her a child.

Read Full Story https://theconversation.com/bridgerton-in-a-show-full-of-sex-many-of-the-characters-know-little-about-it-the-real-ladies-of-the-ton-werent-so-ignorant-230339