As Bridgerton Lovers are set to step back into another Regency England romance on January 29, viewers will be transported to a world of lavish parties, beautiful dresses and Lady Whistledown gossip. As Benedict Bridgerton and Sophie Baek’s story unfolds on screen, there could also be lingering questions about how the show handles consent.
Based on Julia Quinn’s popular historical romance novels, each season of the Netflix adaptation follows the love story of one of the eight Bridgerton siblings. Each of the first three seasons went inside more than 90 million views during their first 91 days on the streaming platform.
But while the love stories have captivated viewers, the show’s depictions of consent — which National Resource Center on Sexual Violence defines as meaning “all involved have agreed to what they are doing and given their permission” – have varied.
Season 1, in particular, caused controversy for a rape marriage scene in which the protagonist, Daphne Bridgerton, forces her husband to ejaculate inside her after repeatedly making it clear during other sexual encounters that she did not want to. Bridgerton fans criticized Protesters for the inclusion of the scene from the original book when it premiered in 2020.
In the years since, the show has evolved in depictions of consent. Season 3 is maybe the era with the best depiction of consent, with Colin Bridgerton seeking consent from Penelope Featherington during different sexual encounters.
But there is still room for improvement on the subject informed consent— meaning there is open communication about boundaries before, during, and after the activities they engage in, and what may result from their actions. Season 4 is an opportunity for Bridgertona show that blends the historical and the modern to enhance the way it portrays consent for a modern audience.
Evolution of Consensus in Contemporary Romance Novels
While the Bridgerton The series has reached new heights for adaptations based on books, the popularity of the romance genre is nothing new.
The concept of the romance novel as we know it today dates back to the romantic fiction of the 18th and 19th centuries, according to the New York Public Library. While the early days of romance novels primarily explored the stories of straight, white women, the genre has slowly evolved to become more inclusive. New subspecies—such as new adult romance and romantic-fantasy (more commonly known as romance)—have also emerged. Tropes such as friends with lovers, forced closeness and fake dates have created certain frameworks that give structure to the stories.
Consent appears to be increasingly great to lovers. Just this winter, the Intense rivalry TV series—based on the best-seller by Rachel Reid Game changes series of novels — was praised for it illustration of affirmative consent.
And the books we read, fictional or otherwise, it can shape our real life. Aashna Avachatliterary agent and young adult romance writer, said in an interview with Rewire News Group that growing up, her expectations of what romance would be like were based, in part, on the books she read.
“I remember when I was growing up, the romance books I read, whether for teens or adults, rarely had explicit consent,” Avachat said. “It always seemed to be implied. And that, I think, was considered quite romantic.”
But as she began her writing and agent career, she noticed a shift: Books, especially in the young adult fiction space, involved more direct consent.
“[I] began to notice that even in the first kiss scenes, the characters would ask, “Can I kiss you? Do you want me to kiss you?’ added Avachat. “And I think that started to feel like a significant change, and I think a positive change, where we saw consent as a romantic gesture.”
The concept of consent has changed over time in American society, as has the way it is explored in literature. Since romance novels are published at distinct times where definitions of consent vary, discussions of consent can be complicated.
In addition to romance and new adult romance, contemporary romance (set after World War II), historical romance (set before World War II), and romantic suspense (mixing mystery, thriller, and romance elements) popular erotic subgenres. Dark romance is growing in popularity and has been criticized for what some readers consider to be romantic depictions of abuse and lack of consent;.
According to Domestic & Sexual Violence Services Optionsthe subgenre can become harmful when it reinforces harmful myths about assault, blurs the lines of consent, and may lack appropriate context that may be important to younger readers. (It is worth noting that not all readers and critics see dark romance as negative: It can help some people process their feelings and raise awareness about harmful behaviors.)
Historical context
Dr. Jayashree Kambleprofessor of English at New York’s LaGuardia Community College who teaches about romantic narratives in fiction, popular culture, and literature, explained that “readers grow up under the politics of their time” and that the time period in which readers come to romance novels can affect the lens through which they read them.
“Commercial romance novels have a history of more than 100 years, and those where sexual violence was more common, as well as scenes of dubious consent or fabricated consent, can be found more often in examples from the 1970s,” Kamblé said. “By the 1980s, both readers and publishers were asking writers to change this.”
He added that when examining texts through the lens of cultural studies, especially those written in the past, it is necessary to view them from two time periods: when the text was written and the current moment.
“You always have to wear both hats … because otherwise, everything else will fail based on your current criteria,” he said.
“I don’t think we let anyone get away,” Kamblé added. “But we don’t necessarily say, ‘Oh my God, can you believe they did this and thought it was acceptable?’
Kathleen E. Woodiwiss’s 1972 book The Flame and the Flower it is is often mentioned as a prominent example of the historical style of “bust ripper” romance novels, which tend to include sexual violence or questionable depictions of consent. This particular book was a bestseller at the time, and the New York Times was mentioned that he helped develop historical romances in paperback form.
Since then, however, the story has been criticized due to the relationship between the main characters, Heather Simmons and Brandon Birmingham. During the unfolding of the story, he rapes her, causing her to become pregnant. And they are forced to marry before finally living happily ever after.
Older romance novels often depict “rapist heroes.” As Sitting room was mentioned“In the early 1970s, romance novels ‘no’ sometimes meant ‘yes’ and a rapist could figure as a hero.”
Kamble explained that the current cultural debate around consent is fairly new and is being shaped by different factors, including feminist movements, a growing awareness of bodily autonomy and “the practice of sexual activity that has different stages.”
Different decades saw different phenomena: In the late 1960s and 1970s, during the women’s liberation movement, romance readers understood women’s rights — including the right to sexual dominance — very differently from Baby Boomers, who associated sex and consent with marital responsibilities, Kamblé explains. And 1990s-era romance readers viewed consent through “the broader ideology of consumer culture feminism, which equates initiation into sex as a marker of one’s independence and an implicit idea that such initiation makes consent clear,” Kamblé said.
“The very concept of consent is something that has evolved from this new way of thinking about sexual engagement and one’s body,” he added. “Also, especially in the United States, we had changed laws about when and if you should say no.”
What constitutes consensual and marital rape, for example, is a constantly changing concept in the US. National Domestic Violence Hotline states, “the perception of women as objects of common law property, incapable of handling their own legal affairs, continues to influence the perception of men, police officers, prosecutors and judges”.
They report that it was not until July 1993 that marital rape was made a crime in all US states, although how it is defined and its consequences vary from state to state.
The future of the romance genre
Evidence suggests that romance audiences will continue to shape the dialogue as readers continue to influence demand. THE Guardian was mentioned that “annual sales of romance novels in print more than doubled” from $18 million in 2020 to $36 million in 2023.
The number of bookstores dedicated to selling romance novels has grown internationally, including in the US, Canada, and Australia. THE Romance of the data base estimates that there are now 218 brick-and-mortar romance bookstores worldwide. Over a dozen have only opened internationally in recent years, including Books Ever After in Australia, Saucy Books in the UK, Dear Reader in Germany and Perfect Match in Canada.
There is no one way to be a romance reader, said Dr. Kamblé, which means that what romance readers take away from a book—like whether their ideas about consent are reinforced or challenged—is different for each person. A reader comes to a text with particular lived experiences, which are influenced by their culture and family, to name a few factors.
On the agency side, Avachat said healthy depictions of consent are top of mind when working editorially on its clients’ books. She believes in the positive potential of romance novels.
“I hope that consent will continue to be explored more directly in romance novels,” Avachat said. “But I think the industry is kind of regressing with the type of content it’s interested in. So I’m not sure what’s ahead.”
