"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet", so says Juliet in William Shakespeare's play Romeo & Juliet, but Shakespeare was mistaken because there is a lot in a name. A name is more than a label, it is a reflection of identity, culture, personal agency and social status. Using a correct name is considered a basic expression of respect, in our real lives most will not show their friends, family or acquaintances disrespect by using a different name when discussing or talking to them, so why is it okay for a fictional character? Kathani (Kate) Bridgerton is The Viscountess Bridgerton, but some in the fandom still insist on calling her Kate Sharma, with one content creator recently claiming it is to put respect on her heritage, but does reverting Kate's name to her maiden name show respect for her heritage? Or does using Sharma, instead of her married name and title, actually echo ideas of erasure and Orientalism?
Image Credit: Netflix
A few weeks ago a mid-tier content creator on Instagram made a post about season 2 that prompted a number of responses, both positive and negative, but one response in particular caught my attention. I was sent a screenshot of an exchange where a commenter raised the issue of how Shondaland and Netflix continually refer to The Viscountess Bridgerton as Kate Sharma, whilst referring to the white characters of Penelope and Francesca by their married names. The content creator replied to the comment, ending with"...I still call her Kate Sharma and she is my favourite character, full stop. You know why? Because I like to put some respect on her heritage and not erase that she's a Sharma first". The idea that referring to The Viscountess Bridgerton as Kate Sharma, is something I have seen expressed on other platforms as well, and while it may seem to be a noble and respectful thing to do, it is very problematic. Calling Kate by her maiden name and disregarding not only her married name but also her title, mirrors a common trope where characters of colour are kept in the 'before' identity and unable to grow and evolve as characters. Essentially those that continue to refer to Kate as a Sharma when discussing her post marriage are freezing her identity as a Sharma, and could be seen to be reinforcing her as an outsider, implying she doesn't belong as a Bridgerton.
Image Credit: Screenshot from Instagram
Further, by failing to recognise Kate as The Viscountess Bridgerton, or as a Bridgerton at all, it can act as a way of ensuring Kate remains 'in her place' as it reinforces racial hierarchies and challenges Kate's legitimacy in the white majority world of Bridgerton's aristocracy, and even the Bridgerton family. More than this, using her anglicised name of Kate, while claiming to 'put some respect on her heritage' feeds into the colonialist practice of anglicising ethnic names. It presents a Western worldview of anglicised/europeanised first names, while defining her heritage via her surname. In this situation it is a Western content creator deciding how Kate's heritage should be respected while denying Kate's character arc in season 2 that culminated in her marriage to Anthony and her gaining the title of Viscountess. If this content creator, (and others in the fandom), wished to 'put respect on Kate's heritage' then surely it would be more respectful to use her first name of Kathani rather than an anglicised first name while reverting her surname to a time before she married? Kate becoming The Viscountess Bridgerton wasn't just a plot point, it was the whole of her story arc in season 2, it not only represents her growth as a character, but also agency, love and security for the character and it represents so much more to many South Asian women who watch the show, a representation that goes far beyond just seeing a brown woman onscreen, and failing to refer to the character of Kate as a Bridgerton denies this character growth.
Image Credit: Netflix
The concept of Orientalism within cultural studies is where Western storytelling keeps characters from non-Western cultures in an unchanging version of who they are, and not allowing for character arcs or growth. Using Kate Sharma, instead of Viscountess Bridgerton/Lady Bridgerton/Kate (or Kathani) Bridgerton, falls into this idea of Orientalism, and perpetuates the Western views of non-Western characters. The reverting of Kate's surname while failing to use her ethnic first name can also be seen as a subtle way to imply that Kate is not part of the Bridgerton family, and that her new life as The Viscountess Bridgerton cannot co-exist with her culture and heritage. This is compounded by the content creator failing to take on board what women of colour tell her about how the denial of Kate's position in the show makes them feel, or how it can be viewed as a microaggression or racism. The fact that the content creator - who is a white woman - fails to listen to women of colour, can be seen as echoing the long history of the lived experiences of people of colour being ignored as white people continue to define how they must interact in society, and how they must feel, essentially she is defining what they should be thinking and feeling, which is a classic Orientalism approach.
Image Credit: Netflix
I am certain that some may read this and think that I am overreacting, or that it doesn't matter because it is 'just a show', with comments like 'it's not that deep' or 'it's not that serious', however, the way some people respond to fictional characters can reveal their real world attitudes and biases, whether consciously or unconsciously. Brushing off the concerns of women of colour, specifically South Asian women in this instance, can not only reinforce the racial hierarchy where a white woman believes her views are more valid than those of others, reflecting an entitlement around defining what counts as racism or a microaggression, it reinforces a subtle form of gatekeeping determining who gets to define a characters identity. In the specific situation I have discussed, the content creator is dismissing people of colour, relegating them to not being as important as she is, which perpetuates the idea that white people get to make the decisions on how non-white characters are viewed and identified, views that could reflect her real world views where she thinks she has the right to decide how those she interacts with are identified. Dismissing women of colour on matters of their lived experience is arrogant and entitled as it reinforces the views of colonialism and white superiority that should be a relic of the past, but are seemingly just another facet of the Bridgerton fandom, only this time with a content creator that counts people like Julia Quinn among her followers.
