There’s been a lot of noise surrounding Penelope Featherington’s lead role in Bridgerton season 3, with the wallflower making her way into the spotlight to put her feelings for Colin Bridgerton first – despite society’s interpretation of her. And what better way to silence the critics – both on screen and for Nicola Coughlan in real life – than with the beautiful nude scene in episode five, which figuratively and literally holds a mirror up to the expectations surrounding women’s bodies?
As fans of Bridgerton will know, Penelope has always struggled to live up to the impossible beauty standards of the ton, largely down to the portrayal of the ‘idealised’ version of what a woman should be. Instead, she skirts around the edges of society, pouring her attention into being Lady Whistledown, creating a persona where she is valued beyond her appearance, but for her wit and intelligence.
By season three, she feels ready for the marriage mart, asking her long term pal Colin for his help to find her a match. But instead, he realises his true feelings for her and proposes, with the pair getting engaged to be married at the end of part one.
During an intimate scene in episode five, Colin wants to help Pen to see herself how he sees her, and the pair stand in front of a full length mirror. He tells her “you should see it as well” as he begins to unrobe her. Instead of shying away from the vulnerability of her naked body, Penelope admires herself, taking in her body for everything that it is. And yes, she looks bloody fantastic. The camera lingers on her red lips, bare shoulders and curls, before she’s eventually naked, and continues to take her body in for all its glory. It’s a wonderful, empowering yet exposing moment that sees Penelope realise her true self, after years of her family dismissing her worth.
It’s something that actress Nicola Coughlan has also had to contend with. During a recent screening of Bridgerton in Dublin, she was asked whether she felt “brave” for taking on a role that involves a lot of nudity, likely a reference to the fact she doesn’t reflect society’s idea of a leading lady.
She replied, “You know, it is hard, because I think women with my body type – women with perfect breasts – we don’t get to see ourselves on screen enough, and I’m very proud as a member of the perfect breasts community. I hope you enjoy seeing them.”
Nicola, the woman that you are.
The actress also shared a similar sentiment in a recent interview, explaining that she had asked for specific nude scenes to be included in the script as a direct response to chatter around what she looked like. “It just felt like the biggest ‘fuck you’ to all the conversation surrounding my body; it was amazingly empowering. I felt beautiful in the moment, and I thought: ‘When I’m 80, I want to look back on this and remember how fucking hot I looked!”
It’s interesting to consider the fact there’s been very little discussion around Luke Newton – who plays Colin Bridgerton – and his body in their intimate scenes – or at all, actually. Instead, it’s Nicola who’s brandished as ‘brave’ or has to face a barrage of online comments about her body, something she also responded to in a now-deleted post on X (formerly known as Twitter) last year.
She wrote at the time, “Hello! So just a thing – if you have an opinion about my body please, please don’t share it with me. Most people are being nice and not trying to be offensive but I am just one real-life human being and it’s really hard to take the weight of thousands of opinions on how you look being sent directly to you every day. If you have an opinion about me that’s ok, I understand I’m on TV and that people will have things to think and say but I beg you not to send it to me directly.”
So what better way to hold a mirror up to both society’s unrealistic standards *and* the way Penelope has been made to feel about herself, than with the most gorgeous, celebratory fully nude reflection scene? We love to see it.
Bridgerton season 3 part 2 is now streaming on Netflix.
Answering your Bridgerton questions
Who does Cressida marry in the books?
Who is Nicola Coughlan’s partner?
How old are the Bridgerton characters irl?
Dusty Baxter-Wright is an award-winning journalist and the Entertainment and Lifestyle Director at Cosmopolitan, having previously worked at Sugarscape. She was named one of PPA’s 30 Under 30 for her work covering pop culture, careers, interiors and travel, and oversees the site’s Entertainment and Lifestyle strategy across print, digital and video. As a journalist for the best part of a decade, she has interviewed everyone from Louis Theroux and Channing Tatum to Margot Robbie and Ncuti Gatwa, while she has also spoken on Times Radio and BBC Radio. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram here.
