Nicola Coughlan’s “Bridgerton” Storyline Has Sparked A Whole Load Of Discourse About “Mixed-Weight” Relationships, And People Are Pointing Out The Ridiculous Double Standards

2 months ago 5

In case you missed it, the latest season of Bridgerton revolves around Nicola Coughlan’s character, Penelope Featherington, and her relationship with Colin Bridgerton, played by Luke Newton.

Speaking to Stylist, the Irish star acknowledged how rare it is to see her body type represented on screen as she explained: “There’s one scene where I’m very naked on camera, and that was my idea, my choice. It just felt like the biggest ‘fuck you’ to all the conversation surrounding my body; it was amazingly empowering.”

In partial response to this article, Forbes published one of its own, and its headline posed the question: “Are We Still Not Ready For A Mixed-Weight Romance On Screen?”

But perhaps more notably, other users pointed out that the concept of “mixed-weight relationships” isn’t revolutionary at all. In fact, they have been dominating our screens for several decades with one key difference: the man is heavier than the woman.

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“i find it interesting how there are countless fictional couples in film and television where the man weighs more than the woman but people didn’t start writing articles about whatever the fuck a ‘mixed-weight romance’ is until it was the other way around,” one person tweeted.

Another agreed: “Meanwhile there are about a million different shows where a chubby man has a skinny wife, and no one bats an eye.”

Somebody else echoed: “Funny. ‘Mixed-weight’ relationships have been on screen for a long time. It’s only a problem when the woman is heavy.” This user also provided some visual examples, including cartoons and fictional characters represented by real-life actors.

These examples were Fred and Wilma Flintstone, Peter and Lois Griffin from Family Guy, the leads in Bob Hearts Abishola, Jim and Cheryl in According to Jim, and Phil and Vivian Banks in The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.

Elsewhere, somebody else pointed out: “A reminder the 'fat guy thin wife' has been a trope in sitcoms for decades. A reminder that there is not a correct bodily flesh ratio to a relationship. A reminder Nicola is not fat (and it would be fine if she were).”

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