Whether seeing Regé-Jean Page as Simon or Golda Rosheuvel as Queen Charlotte, Bridgerton seamlessly connected what seemed to be labeled by most critics as a controversial plot. By having lead Black characters star in a world commonly known to be associated with European aristocracy, Brigderton‘s costumes brought forth a history that’s been erased from most textbooks. This history was once known to be of prominent Black empires and dynasties that reigned in affluence in wealth and abundance. According to the BBC, a woman’s remains were discovered in York during the early 19th century. The woman uncovered was known as The Ivory Bangle Lady and the BBC reports that “archeological analysis reveals that although she was born in Roman Britain, she’s likely to be born of North African descent.”

Upon the archeologist’s findings, they discovered that the woman seemed to have had high class and stature. Her remains were found with jet and elephant ivory bracelets, pendants, beads, earrings and a blue glass jug with a glass mirror.

“It puts into question assumptions that Black people have never been aspirationally wealthy or had any kind of wealth,” the BBC reports.

Whether it’s The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Smithsonian, The Getty or other notable museums that hold the history of ancient artistry and culture, Bridgerton’s costumes pay homage to artist Kehinde Wiley’s work. Wiley is best known for his juxtaposition of portraying Black men and women as knights, queens, lords and other prominent concepts that usually depict wealthy white European leaders in a glamorized light. His work challenges societal barriers that often highlight the Black experience in negative ways, a concept that is also being challenged by Bridgerton and the implementation of Black luxury within costume design. Much like Wiley, Bridgerton’s colonial regency is promisingly loud and overt, which is much needed.

In addition to challenging stereotypes that are often associated with Black culture, the costumes help to depict Black men and women in a positive light. In a world that is divided by a person’s color, class and other common factors that take place within a centralized caste system, Bridgerton has seamlessly taken the steps forward to bridge a gap between race, social class and stature. Bridgerton’s Duke Simon courts Daphne, the eldest daughter of a rich white family. Simon’s courtship of the wealthy maiden highlights the intricate details of an interracial couple and serves as another pivotal aspect in breaking down stereotypes and misconceptions about Black villainy. As a wealthy Black Duke that approaches a wealthy white royal, Simon wasn’t depicted as less than Daphne but rather equal if not more prominent than she was with his attire. He was the embodiment of a Black man who was desired and not feared, a narrative that has often displayed Black men as the predator within entertainment and film.

If we sometimes forget to remember our intrinsic worth as a collective, Bridgerton can help to serve as a much-needed reminder. Having survived an ongoing pandemic, Bridgerton’s costumes are a healthy form of escapism from the everyday stresses of life. The costumes help to connect the characters with a glamorized viewpoint of Black luxury and regency, where their Blackness is still able to thrive alongside a predominantly whitewashed image.

“In contrast, the characters of Bridgerton never seem to forget their Blackness but instead understand it as one of the many facets of their identity, while still thriving in Regency society. The show’s success proves that people of color do not have to be erased or exist solely as victims of racism in order for a British costume drama to flourish,” reports the New York Times.

The Times also associated the melodrama storyline with pushing the narrative of Black characters thriving in predominantly white spaces in and out of the film industry.

“Bridgerton provides a blueprint for British period shows in which Black characters can thrive within the melodramatic storylines, extravagant costumes and bucolic beauty that make such series so appealing, without having to be servants or enslaved. This could in turn create openings for gifted performers who have avoided them in the past.”

Without the opulent costumes of Bridgerton’s Queen Charlotte, the storyline would most likely be erased alongside a hidden truth and history of Great Britain’s original Queen Charlotte during the 18th century. Bridgerton producer Shonda Rhimes recently disclosed the making of Queen Charlotte and how the hit TV show sheds light on the true history of the British queen’s hidden identity.

“Race is considered, and there are many historians who believe that Queen Charlotte was England’s first mixed-race queen. That theory resonated with us hugely. What if Queen Charlotte was recognised as being of mixed-race in 1813? What would that look like? What would happen? What if this Queen of England used her power to elevate other people of color in that society? And that’s where the fictional part came in,” Rhimes said in an interview for Radio Times.

Shonda adds, “Chris took the sense of the world at the time, but allowed it to be as fictional as he needed it to be. There weren’t really Bridgertons back then, so it wasn’t like this was a docudrama. It allowed Chris to create the world that he wanted to live in. He took one possible fact, which was that Queen Charlotte was a woman of color, he extrapolated it, and built a world from there in terms of how society ran.”

We often retrieve our history from textbooks, research and the discoveries of historians on a global scale; however, much of the knowledge and insight we receive is usually a result of the entertainment we watch. From Lin Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton to Chris Van Dusen’s Bridgerton, costume design plays a vital role in how we tell stories, and in turn, how we relive our history’s past.