Bridgerton's footprint in Britain's culture and economy

Netflix claims that over the past five years, by producing the series "Bridgerton," it has contributed 275 million dollars to Britain's ailing economy. Bridgerton is a series made on the basis of Julia Quinn's eight-volume romance novel, directed by Chris Van Dusen and produced by Shonda Rhimes, and its first season in December 2020 became Netflix's most-watched series. This series narrates a free romantic take on eighteenth-century English society known as the Regency era.

Nevertheless, examination of the evidence and statistics shows that the Bridgerton series, in addition to helping Britain's economy, has also had notable effects on this country's culture. In this regard, the producer Rhimes after the release of the series' third season has said: "Bridgerton has occupied a unique space in culture, its ideas have resonated equally among all members of society from young to old, and it has influenced everything from baby names to wedding ceremonies." In this note we try to track the effects of the Bridgerton series on Britain's economy and culture.

Britain's economy's 275 million dollar growth

The Bridgerton series has contributed 275 million dollars to Britain's economy and in this process has also supported 5 thousand local indigenous businesses. According to Netflix's estimate, this figure includes direct and indirect costs for producing this series. This message from Netflix is encouraging for Britain's film and series production studios; because with the disappearance of the boom of the COVID lockdown period, many jobs in this industry have been lost. At the same time, analysts believe the impact of this series on the country's economic growth has been far greater than this figure; because revenue in areas such as tourism, trade, and so on has not been included in it. In one example, one can point to iconic locations such as Castle Howard in Yorkshire and Ranger's House in Greenwich that, thanks to the Bridgerton series, have prompted many tourists' interest in visiting them. So much so that the number of visitors aged 18 to 24 to the Castle Howard website after the schedule was announced increased by more than 3,400 percent. Also in 2022 visits to Ranger's House increased by 81 percent.

Recreating eighteenth-century England: the Regency era

The story of the Bridgerton series takes place in eighteenth-century England. A period that began with the removal of King George III and the succession of his child with the title "Prince Regent," and is therefore also referred to as the Regency period. The successful recreation of this era by the series' makers caused all the series' scenes, from the manner of dress and the architecture of homes to how various ceremonies and celebrations are held, to become a model for members of society, and even particular events with the theme of this era to be held. Influencers and bloggers, by teaching and promoting various aspects of this era, played a significant role in further elevating and spreading this historical period through all layers of society.

The fashion e-commerce marketplace Love the Sales reports that only three days after the release of the second season of the Bridgerton series, the clothing of this series' actors, which includes empire-waist dresses, doll-like styles, with pearl decorations, floral patterns, long opera gloves, and other similar designs, became the popular trend of the spring season. An example of this type of clothing can be seen in the image below.

In addition to the manner of dress, the series' ideas have also influenced other areas of fashion, including home design. Regency-era architecture mainly includes furniture with sleek lines and prominent carvings, the use of luxurious fabrics such as velvet, silk, and satin, pastel and soft colors, classical motifs such as columns, attention to detail, gilded mirrors, and intricate patterns on walls. The Spruce, one of the top five sites in the field of home and garden design, has greatly developed the Regency style. This site's 44 million readers are interested in bringing the distinctive and classical beauty of this era into their homes. HGTV.COM is another blog that teaches people how to recreate the ideas of this era in their homes. Beth Bolton, specialist marketing director for home improvement at Eurocell, has noted that with the start of the Bridgerton series, buyers have been searching for wisteria plants, gazebos, water fountains, and outdoor candles.

Even the beauty industry has not remained unaffected by the Bridgerton series. The online retailer Cult Beauty has pointed to this series' rebellious romantic trend, namely flushed cheeks and fake freckles among young people. Meanwhile, searches for the puffy hairstyle increased 165 percent and the tomato-bunny hairstyle (Space Buns) 100 percent on Pinterest.

Another case is the striking increase in people who play classical versions of contemporary pop songs. The Vitamin String Quartet, abbreviated VSQ, by offering classical versions of songs by Ariana Grande, Billie Eilish, and Maroon 5, has since the release of the Bridgerton series in December 2020 seen a 350 percent expansion of streams of their songs.

Bridgerton tea party

Among the other important effects of the Bridgerton series was the Pinterest app's summer trend "Bridgerton tea party," which users in April 2024 searched for about 430 percent more than the previous year. Here it is necessary to return to history and the Regency era and review the importance that serving tea had at that juncture.

Evidence shows that in the early 1800s (the Regency era), drinking afternoon tea and how it was served was a common tradition among the wealthy classes in England. This was usually done around 4 p.m., before people wanted to get ready for their evening outing. The ceremony included serving hot tea along with small finger sandwiches, biscuits and cookies, and small butter cakes. The teas mainly included green, black, and oolong teas that were imported to England from China and India.

In the early nineteenth century the etiquette of drinking tea became more complex. First the servants would bring the necessary items: teapot, tea bag, hot water, and cup. Then the lady of the house would brew the tea. She would mix her favorite combination of tea leaves together. Then she would pour boiling water over the leaves. 5 to 8 minutes needed to pass for the tea to steep. Finally, using a strainer, she would serve the tea for the guests. Guests would add milk, sugar, or both to their tea. In this period drinking tea outdoors and in gardens was very popular; people along paths full of flowers and dense shrubs would listen to music, drink tea, and play bowling and have fireworks.

Of course, as we have previously also noted, the custom of afternoon tea in the Regency era was a custom more specific to the wealthy classes and a symbol of their higher social status. Nevertheless there was also another tea custom that was more specific to the lower and middle classes of society. This custom was performed at 5 to 6 p.m. and was served along with people's dinner: tea together with some meat and sweets such as truffles and cake.

Given what has been said, one can well grasp the importance of the tea party and its symbolic ceremony in the Regency era; a matter that is reflected in the third season of the Bridgerton series. Thereafter the ideas of this series gained much popularity among people. Various organizations began holding events in this regard, and even bloggers have pointed to teaching how the tea ceremony is done and the decorations of its tables. For example, one can mention Events Epiphany, which holds various events for enthusiasts. In this company's tea party event, which is held July 20, 21, 27, and 28 in Seattle, it is put this way: "Join our celebration held in Seattle to touch and experience the Regency era up close. Drink tea in china cups and, while enjoying the party, also savor delicious foods. You can wear your best clothes with the theme of this era and immerse yourself in live music. This is a special party for tea fans."

Conclusion

After the release of its first season, the Bridgerton series ranked among Netflix's top sellers. This series created a transformation in Britain's economy and culture. In this note we have tried to acquaint you with a digest of these transformations. Reading this note can well express the importance of cultural policies in reviving a country's economy and culture. To improve and reform a country's fundamental underpinnings, a fundamental revolution need not take place; familiarizing people with the history of society and reviving forgotten ways of life in the form of film and television is a more sustainable way to penetrate society and transmit it to successive generations.

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