What Bridgerton Should Have Learned from Brandy & Paolo Montalban’s CINDERELLA

Watch my new interview with Karen Fukuhara from THE BOYS so I can book more interviews here on the channel! 🫶🏻 https://youtu.be/EsFvRcsv8u0 Support me on Patreon so I can make more videos like these! www.patreon.com/LadyJenevia Research Sources: → Descendants: The Rise of Red: Brandy and Paolo Montalban’s REUNION (Exclusive) | Entertainment Tonight https://youtu.be/FOAcaL6rptA?si=c69y3YeSTnnJ2ABA → Race-baiting, queer-baiting, colorism, featurism, and performative diversity | Khadija Mbowe https://youtu.be/zYPB5nJV3h8?si=BftKbZjKXmvE8j2E → The Liberal Escapism of Bridgerton | Broey Deschanel https://youtu.be/F_CAK_yj5JM?si=J5dpFWk0OUU8b-YB → Bridgerton’s Ruby Barker Slams Netflix After Suffering Psychotic Breaks | E! News https://youtu.be/20UeYaacWnY?si=fKawlLt2wkKAU1_Y → How the Gleeful Aesthetic of L.A.’s 1984 Olympics Unified a Sprawling City | PBS SoCal www.pbssocal.org/shows/lost-la/how-the-gleeful-aes… → NOLYMPICS LA nolympicsla.com/ → FLASHBACK: With Whitney Houston on the 1997 Set of 'Cinderella' | Entertainment Tonight https://youtu.be/03WD8jgljWY?si=IfiE3eO87rcj957y → Brandy - I Wanna Be Down (Official Video) https://youtu.be/PzpLkcfBe-A?si=tgGu6JMJEmgoQWdA → 'Extra's' Lost Video! Brandy and Whitney Houston's Meeting in 1995 | extratv https://youtu.be/IJUlNtMYAaU?si=rSw7To54mTypuTl8 → Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella Reunion w/ Brandy, Whoopi Goldberg & More | Entertainment Weekly https://youtu.be/EGhoilw7NPs?si=aumA87goNrmZjG0s → Debra Martin Chase and Paolo Montalban talk ‘Cinderella’ l GMA https://youtu.be/e8lmAnmnHk4?si=g0HPbOhQkrxXA_0T → 10 Things You Didn't Know About Disney's Cinderella | Cosmopolitan www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/movies/a1315001… → Jackie Chan’s Plan to Keep Kicking Forever | GQ www.gq.com/story/jackie-chans-gq-profile-2017 → Aaliyah & Jet Li - "Romeo Must Die" Interviews & BTS [AaliyahPL] https://youtu.be/AowVx4SikuA?si=wiZSmAhfr2UmssaF → Aaliyah Romeo Must Die Junket Interview https://youtu.be/jeDY_MREecU?si=iNNlpN7o4VWi4s3I → Bridgerton Season 3: The Puppy Interview | Buzzfeed https://youtu.be/CZK0IRWj_nk?si=D5CV_1mvO93mYFwI Music: → Rina Sawayama - XS https://youtu.be/TO2c06p6m5w?si=IwsvY1xIPk65NiBv → Brandy - Right Here https://youtu.be/vzwoJ10UyO0?si=ScDjJ5Sxi8k8s7lJ → Mariah Carey - Fantasy https://youtu.be/qq09UkPRdFY?si=RT0FjbCxv9tGjTeS → Aaliyah - Are You Feelin' Me? https://youtu.be/EB_lq1fRqnc?si=LhQxAImUtF-s_Bsb → Aaliyah - Try Again https://youtu.be/qTA0RuZoIxM?si=ASunIq3mAJpa0rno

I was happy for Bridgerton to be racially diverse and set in the 1800s with no explanation because I thought of it as a fantasy. The minute they brought race relations it became something else entirely. When it became evident that the writers had no range to discuss these issues it took me out.

🎯🎯🎯🎯🎯 Making Brigerton like Brandi's Cinderella would have been absolutely perfect.

As a black woman, I just can't bring myself to watch bridgerton fully because I know that I am going to nitpick it because of the diversity problem. I watched season 1 and after THAT scene with Simon and Daphne I was done because that scene was too much on the surface. But when I thought about it some more....it kinda exemplifies the whole race dilemma and I started to unpack all the ways that Bridgeton fails it bipoc cast because there isn't enough bipoc people behind the camera. For examples: - THAT SCENE with Simon and Daphne (imo) kinda subconsciously veers too closely into the feitshzation of black bodies in the 1800s for the pleasure of white people and the lack of agency to say 'no' for fear of punishment. - how all of the bridgeton women besides Eloise has been romantically linked to black men (it kinda giving Kardashians and we loved mixed children lol.) - most of the women of color on bridgeton (including lady danbury, marina, Edwina, the dressmaker, Charlotte etc) always has a bittersweet ending to their stories. They can't never seem to get a true happy ending. Queen Charlotte is the most powerful woman on the show, but her husband has gotten sick and can't remember her most of the time. And I suppose to say 'Yass queen. wear that wig.' No it's truly sad that on a romance story that we have to watch a powerful woman see her husband become mad and the only time we see her happy is like 50 years pior and the fact that lady danbury doesn't have a lover most of her life like Lady Tilly with Benedict is mind blowing. -  the fact that most of the dark-skinned black men meet horrible fates (John, Simon's father, lord Danbury) - the fact that we didn't have Kate's wedding to Anthony WHEN she is marrying the head of the main family on the show. The show is called Bridgeton and Kate is becoming the Lady of the entire family. But we get the wedding of the two white heroines.  - the desire of keeping Will and Alice on the show because they are the only black ppl on the principal cast but not giving enough of a storyline to justify their inclusion.

Brandy and Paolo are the OG couple I shipped as a child 😊 love this

As a black woman I have always been attracted to attractive men regardless of “race” and learned more and more from society as I grew older that I was not “allowed” to think white, Asian or Hispanic men are attractive. Cinderella with Brandy as the lead justified my feelings as a child. I feel a bit ashamed that societally we still have to tell black women that they can date any men they want that also want them. It is also so nice to see a non black woman cheering for positive and equal black representation without jealousy, bitterness or bigotry…❤

Brandy’s Cinderella still means so much to me ❤

When the advertisements for Bridgerton first aired, I thought it was inspired by this version of Cinderella. I wonder if color blind casting will ever truly take off in Hollywood.

When I tell you I rewatch this version of Cinderella a couple times a year because of how timeless it truly is. I think Mr Malcolm's List did a good job of casting diversely too. I wished they did the same with Bridgerton.

That version of Cinderella meant everything to me as a kid. Thank you so much for speaking about its impact!

Thank you for bringing up the vast disparity of press for Kanthony. Everytime I bring this up I get attacked by fans that I’m jealous and I’m not. I am Tamil South Asian and I get emotional seeing Simone Ashley as a lead in the season. She and Johnny didn’t get the same measure of press or photo shoot for Season 2 or Season 3 which had massive promotion. And then for their characters ,Kanthony, have had NO milestones on screen and have ultimately been written off the show. Additionally (if I’m not mistaken) in Season 2 fans were told that they didn’t shoot or plan a wedding for Kanthony because it’s not possible to film two weddings in one season but then they turn around and do that exactly in Season 3! It’s honestly soured my outlook of Shondaland and Bridgerton because why aren’t they good enough to get any of that but the white leads are? It seems like POC’s get all the coverage for suffering but when it’s time for celebration there’s all of a sudden no room.

Brandi is the prettiest Cinderella and Barbie ever. Also Keke Palmer on Broadway was an excellent casting....and I love Lily James but the throne is still occupied in my heart.

The way I screamed "Yassss!!!" when you featured "Romeo Must Die." I was just listening to the soundtrack last week.

The press surrounding Season 2 was foul. So many people tried defending it, using the COVID excuse, but Nicola, Claudia, Charithra and Luke N got a photoshoot, while Jonny and Simone did not. And Phoebe and RJP got a photoshoot during COVID too so that’s a sh*t excuse.

Lets be real, Bridgerton season 3 was the least diverse season. Diversity isnt just a check box, its giving diverse actors meaty storylines and importance. All the characters of importance were white and PoC only revolved ariund their white counterparts

the timing for this is soo perfect bc even a new star wars show (the acolyte ) has some blasian solidarity! i wish so badly that briderton would've done colorblind casting for every character

I think that I may be able to offer some more context to the tensions between the Black and Asian communities that during the LA riots. 13 days after the video was released of the police attacking Rodney King another travesty of justice occurred in LA, specifically between the Asian American and African American communities, where a Korean woman who ran a convenience store fatality shot a 15 year old girl named Latasha Harlins for supposedly shoplifting. The Korean woman, Soon Ja Du, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for voluntary manslaughter but the sentence was suspended to community service and a measly $500 fine. The injustice of this case added to the emotions that boiled over during the riot and is said to have contributed to so many Korean owned businesses being burned during the riots. A short documentary about Latasha Harlins was made into an Oscar nominated film in 2019 which is how I first learned about this part of history.

I legit thought as a kid that Black + White = Asian, but I didn't question it. I adored that the step sisters were different races from each other, and having a black step sister made it clear that the step mother wasn't just racist against Cinderella. Having grown up with all 3 televised versions of Rogers and Hammerstein's versions of the story, this is the one I enjoy revisiting most. EDIT: We 100% need a JJ Field cameo. Between Northanger Abbey and Austenland, that man has my regency heart in the palm of his hands.

I've been thinking about this topic a lot lately. So many of Bridgerton's problems could've been solved if they had just did colorblind casting. I don't need for my fluffy historical romance to attempt to solve racism or explain why there is no racism. I just want the main couple to have a happy ending and some fun banter between the Bridgertons. If the Bridgertons/Featheringtons had been casted without race in mind, then we wouldn't be at the point where we are now where the love interest has to be a certain race in order to check a box.

I have never had anything I have said featured in a video before, and I am so honored to have my first time be a video of yours. I don't always comment, but I have loved your content for years. It is true that Jonathan and Simone paid for the season 2 wrap party. They called it boozy bowling. There are some pics and there was an article about it, but I can't for the life of me find it. I wonder if it was srubeed, but, it is true. I really enjoyed this video. I wish more creatives would talk about this subject,not only for Bridgerton, but all shows that claim diversity in appearance, but the actual stories and plots for the show fall short. I love the concept of Bridgerton, but if season 4 doesn't do better, I don't see myself continuing to watch.