Let’s get one thing straight: I am not a Bridgerton fan. I have never watched the show, and I don’t know the difference between a Whistledown or a Featherington, however there is one part of the period drama which I keep hearing people talk about again and again.
It’s the show’s notorious sex scenes.
Now, after watching the entire Fifty shades of grey series, I thought I had seen it all. From handcuffs, bondage and domination, I thought television couldn’t get anymore graphic than Mr Christian Grey, but after watching a few sex scenes from Bridgerton my mouth dropped to the floor.
The explicit sexual encounters, passionate kisses, and exaggerated moans would make even Mr Grey blush.
I couldn’t believe it, as nothing was left to the imagination, and I felt like I was watching something from a sexual website instead of a Netflix historical romance.
So, using the Glamour magazine article which ranked all the Bridgerton sex scenes from best to worst, I chose three episodes which I thought sounded the most exciting to react too. I sat down on my sofa, snuggled up in a blanket, and watched all three sex scenes to discover what all the fuss is really about.
Season 1: Episode 5
This scene included a young man named Benedict, who visits an orgy party.
Within this party there were hundreds of butt naked people having sex within every nook and cranny of the castle. Even the staircase held a couple on each step, either thrusting away or moaning to their heart’s content. Benedict starts talking to a seamstress called Madame Delacroix, which then leads to them both passionately kissing, and participating in a threesome with another woman.
But before the threesome commenced, Benedict opened a door to find a private room for him and Madame Delacroix, but instead finds two men passionately kissing and quietly shuts the door behind himself.
Whilst this scene didn’t really blow my mind, it was refreshing to see a period drama shining a light on polygamy. I thought that it held a positive representation of sex, through the inclusion of voyeurism and polygamy, and including Benedict’s nonchalant reaction to two men kissing.
Which is extremely important within television, as according to The Trevor Project on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health 2022, 89% of the LGBTQ youth reported that seeing LGBTQIA+ representations on television made them feel good about being part of the community.
So I rated this scene a 8/10, as although the sex wasn’t extremely explicit, I loved the way it didn’t just focus on heterosexual sex, and included different sexual preferences such as voyeurism.
Season 1: Episode 6
The Daphne and Simon sex scene.
My god, those two really do go at it! I have never seen anything like it, I mean there was a sex montage of these two just humping in any place they could find. They had sex in an inn, beside the lake, and then Daphne ends up receiving oral sex whilst she’s perched on a ladder. I’m not sure how one finds themselves up a ladder during a passionate moment of sex, but I cannot fault them, she looked like she was thoroughly enjoying herself.
But what I loved the most about this steamy sex scene, was the fixation on Daphne’s pleasure. It felt empowering to see a sex scene, which focused on the female pleasure as much as the males satisfaction.
Which is important for televised sex scenes as psychosexual therapist Shelly Diprose explained: “There’s this cultural filtration that we have in society that as long as men ejaculate then both partners are having a great time, and that is not always the case. There’s all these messages about how it’s okay for men to show their wild sex side but not for a woman to do the same. Which is completely unfair as if you’re having sex for pleasure, you’re having sex for pleasure. It shouldn’t matter what your gender is.”
So I applaud Daphne and Simon, and even that innocent little ladder, because their passionate sex montage made me feel empowered to see a female’s sexual pleasure being positively represented on television.
Overall I gave this sex scene a 10/10.
Season 2: episode 7
This last sex scene was not as thrilling as the ladder montage, but again it was primarily focused on the woman’s sexual pleasure.
We see Anthony (eldest son of the Bridgerton siblings) and Kate having a heated argument in a candle lit pergola, which then turns into passionate kissing and them undressing one another.
Again, the scene focused on Kate’s sexual gratification instead of the man, which left me pleasantly surprised, as I have never seen a programme frequently focus on female pleasure.
Women empowering women stated that the lack of female pleasure on television is completely expected when considering the state of women’s sexual pleasure in real life. The orgasm gap is well-documented, with the International Academy of Sex Research showing that 95% of men orgasmed during sex, compared to 65% of women in 2017.
So, it felt amazing to not have to watch a sex scene which focused predominantly on the male orgasm, and to see the passion and care that the male characters took in pleasing their female partners.
Bridgerton reiterate that sex is not all about the male orgasm, it’s also about female pleasure too.
From carriages to staircases and ladders, Bridgeton shows it all, and from all three sex scenes that I watched I thought not only were they entertaining, but they also reinforced the important message that sex includes both genders’ pleasures, and women should not feel ashamed to show that they enjoy sex too.
Expert insights:
Shelly Diprose
Shelly Diprose is an integrative psychosexual, relationship and trauma therapist, and has worked as an advocate for survivors of sexual abuse.
