Diksha Sundriyal
Netflix’s ‘Bridgerton’ takes the audience to the Regency era and follows the lives of the British aristocracy, with several families becoming central to the plot. While the main focus is on the Bridgerton family, there are others, like Featheringtons and Cowpers, who are also instrumental to the plot. The Featheringtons especially become important in the third season as the romance between Penelope Featherington and Colin Bridgerton takes centerstage.
There are many things about the Featheringtons that set them apart from the rest of the ton. The vehemence with which Portia Featherington looks out for her daughters and does whatever she can to marry them into good families is certainly a defining trait of hers. To curious viewers, this dynamic might sound similar to something they might have seen in real life.
The Featheringtons are Loosely Inspired by the Kardashians
The ‘Bridgerton’ series is based on the book series of the same name by Julia Quinn. Each book follows the romance of a different Bridgerton sibling, but the Featherington family always remains in the background as a close acquaintance of the Bridgertons. Like the rest of the story and its characters, the Featheringtons are also fictional, though there are some literary characters that Quinn may have looked towards to create this fictional family. To the fans of Jane Austen’s ‘Pride and Prejudice,’ Portia Featherington might seem to have a lot in common with Mrs. Bennet, who is also always worried about how to wed her daughters better.
While bringing the books to the screen, the creators of the show had to dive into a lot more detail while concocting these characters. On the page, these characters were reduced to a few lines, with the Featherington family only coming into focus in ‘Romancing Mr. Bridgerton.’ With a TV show, however, knowing how important Penelope and her arc would become, the show’s creators had to expand the characters to make the audience more invested in them.
Nicola Coughlan, who plays Penelope Featherington, revealed in a social media post that while creating the details about the Featheringtons, from their wardrobes to the dynamics between the mother and her daughters, they looked to the Kardashians for inspiration. She called the family a “massive inspiration for the Featheringtons” and said that the team talked about them all the time during their fittings.
Coughlan added that for playing Penelope, she looked towards Khloé Kardashian, describing both her and the characters as “the redheaded stepchild” who has to “do everything for everyone.” She also asserted that despite the challenges in their path, both Khloé and Penelope “came back” and are “flying high.” She compared Prudence and Philip to Khloé’s sisters, saying they are “terrible” to Penelope. She also compared Portia to Kris Jenner, calling her “the ultimate momager” who is “very ambitious for her girls.”
Adding to Coughlan’s comparisons, Will Hughes-Jones, who serves as the production designer for the show, also called Featheringtons the Kardashians and the Bridgertons’ Kennedys. He added that Featheringtons are “more brash” and have a “flashy element,” which shows in the color choice of their wardrobes, which are “more acidic, with bright yellows, greens, and pinks” as compared to the “muted” palette of the Bridgertons.
The comparisons between the Featheringtons and the Kardashians reached Kim Kardashian, who was over the moon about it and wished to be invited to a fitting for the Featheringtons while also wondering if it made her an honorary duchess in the Bridgerton world. Considering how much influence the Kardashians have had over the Featheringtons, it would be rather interesting to see a real-life Kardashian in the fictional world of Bridgerton. Until then, the comparisons carry on.
Read More: Bridgerton: Is Lady Danbury Based on a Real Person?
