Well, Bridgerton fans, the time has finally come for the highly anticipated mirror scene. In Season 3 Part 2, after declaring his love, Colin (Luke Newton) makes love to Penelope (Nicola Coughlan) for the first time in front of a conveniently placed floor-length mirror. It’s the kind of sweet, steamy scene Bridgerton is known for — scorching hot chemistry and nudity included. So it surprised me when, at the start of the scene, my heart sped up in a panic. When Colin places Penelope in front of the mirror, I wanted to feel excited, but all I felt was dread because I knew that Penelope was about to be in a romantic trope associated with women who are insecure with their bodies: where a man encourages a woman to look at herself and tells her how beautiful she is. And I knew that regardless of Bridgerton’s intentions, this is what the scene is going to evoke in me and in every other viewer who feels their body doesn’t fit the Western standards of beauty.
