In the second episode of season 2 we hear the voiceover of Lady Whistledown (written by Penelope Featherington), say the words 'prickly spinster of a beast' to describe Kate Sharma - now Viscountess Bridgerton. This phrasing, specifically the adjective beast, in relation to Kate, is extremely problematic, if not overtly racist. I have discussed the problematic nature of this line previously in this post.
Image Credit: Netflix
The meaning behind the word beast in this line has divided the fandom, with some viewing it as problematic and racist, whilst others defend the production and writers for including it, and excuse Penelope as a character for having thought of it, written it, and published it. Many of those in the fandom that excuse the use of beast as a descriptor for Kate, dismiss the views of those that find it problematic, talk over those that have expressed their distaste at the word, in the case of one Reddit user called those that find it racist 'snowflakes'. This discourse highlights one of many instances of some within the Bridgerton fandom, excusing and justifying of casual racism within the show and by extension sections of the fandom, or at the very least ignoring the underlying racism.
As a fandom we should be united against the use of such language in the show, especially when we consider the historical use of the word beast in the context of British Colonial relations with India, but we are not. So, why are some fans excusing and justifying the use of an historical colonial era slur? To be honest no-one knows why some will bend over backwards in attempting to excuse and justify the racist connotations of that phrase or why others will ignore the broader issue of the underlying racism that is seen both in the show and in parts of the fandom, but we can all find their excuses and justifications on a variety of social media platforms.
Below are some of the excuses and justifications that I have seen put forward explaining why Penelope calling Kate is not a racist insult, each of which is problematic in itself.
- It was a common historical insult
This is an interesting excuse to use, because Polin fans themselves say that Bridgerton is not meant to be historically accurate when defending some of the more anachronistic choices in season 3. It seems that this excuse is only for criticism of Polin's season, but when it comes to Penelope using racist language then historical accuracy is important in the show.
- It was in the book
During my research for this post, I saw a claim on Reddit that the line came from the book. To confirm if this was true I did a search on the e-book and this line did not appear, and it seems the worst that Penelope wrote about Kate in the book was to say she looked like a 'singed daffodil' when she wore a yellow dress. But again, even if it was in the book this is no excuse for the line being translated to the show, because again Penelope's fans like to remind the fandom that the show is different from the books when it is raised how prominent the Featherington family are in other seasons.
- It is from Taming of the Shrew
This justification is not so black and white. The Viscount Who Loved Me is loosely based on Taming of the Shrew, however, this does not excuse the writers for Bridgerton using modern racist language as a descriptor for the main female character. Also it is important to note that despite its name, the play does not directly call Kate a shrew, and never calls her a beast, which I believe invalidates that justification. However, even if in the play Kate was directly called a beast, it still would not justify using that word to describe a woman of colour today, considering the play is almost half a Millenia old, and the playwright has been dead for 400 years. After all language evolves, and what was acceptable 10, 20 or 400 years ago is not always acceptable today.
- Kate would think it is a compliment
Some users on Reddit have made the claim that Kate would see this as a compliment, and that she would love Penelope as a result of this, but would she? In the show which is very much centred on Penelope and fails time and time again to show care for the character of Kate, this is probably what will happen, however, those that claimed Kate would find being called a beast - which is racist in its implications - a compliment are the same ones that were extremely offended when Penelope was called an 'insipid wallflower' in the very same season, they saw that as one of the worst things anyone could say about her. This excuse and justification is something that comes across as a way for Penelope's fans to again minimise the use of this language and to pretend that it doesn't hold the racist connotations that this way to describe a woman of colour is inherently racist.
- Penelope only prints the truth
This is one of the more disturbing excuses that some of Penelope's fans have come up with to justify what she writes, though it is sometimes interchanged with 'she only prints what she overhears'. There are some nuances in these excuses and justifications that are deserving of a separate post, but in the context of the specific descriptor of 'beast' for Kate, either of these excuses are not flattering for Penelope as a character. By claiming that Penelope only prints the truth they are saying that Penelope's truth is that Kate is no better than an animal - or beast - which in itself shows an inclination for Penelope to view her as being less than, whether based on race or a superiority complex is something that should be explored. However, if it is a case that Penelope just prints what she overhears then her fans are implying that Penelope is not intelligent enough to- or is not moral enough - to differentiate right from wrong, but also this negates the argument that Penelope is a journalist who only prints the truth.
- Blame the writers, Penelope isn't like that, it is the writers fault (and variations)
Well yes, it is the writers, but this come back from some pre-supposes that Penelope is a sentient being that exists outside of what the writers write, which simply isn't true. What we see on screen, what Penelope says and writes, all comes from the mind of the writers, producers and showrunners, Penelope does not exist outside of their imagination and their vision onscreen. While it is correct that it is the writers that should be blamed for putting those thoughts in Penelope's head, and on her page, in the context of the show it is Penelope that thought of that phrase and wrote it down to be published. By trying to divorce the words from the character some within the fandom are again finding excuses for Penelope's use of the phrase, and whilst they aren't specifically saying it isn't racist, they are suggesting that the character of Penelope did not write those words, and so even if the words are racist it did not come from Penelope.
While blaming only some in the fandom for ignoring or excusing the racism is easy, it is not all entirely their fault, as some of them take their cues from production and from Netflix. Both the production and Netflix have steadfastly ignored the implications of racism from that line, to the point that some fans believe Kate and Anthony were sent to India so that they would not be in the country when Penelope was unveiled as Lady Whistledown at the end of season 3. Perhaps by ignoring the racism of some of the words the writers have given to Penelope via Lady Whistledown Netflix hopes that the fans will as well - and some are, but others are not. Bridgerton has used the diversity of its cast as a marketing tool, but within the show they ignore racism and create an environment within the fandom that allows some fans to ignore the racism in the show - and in real life.
