Nicola Coughlan, the breakout star of Netflix’s ‘Bridgerton,’ has once again proven herself to be as funny offscreen as she is on. During a recent Q&A in Dublin about the show’s third season, a male journalist commented that she was ‘very brave’ to play the role of Penelope Featherington, a plus-size character.
In response to the journalist’s outdated and inappropriate comment, Coughlan delivered a brilliantly funny and self-assured retort. ‘You know, it is hard, because I think women with my body type—women with perfect breasts—we don’t get to see ourselves on screen enough,’ she said. ‘And I’m very proud, as a member of the perfect breasts community. I hope you enjoy seeing them.’
Coughlan’s response not only shut down the journalist’s body-shaming question but also turned the conversation on its head, making the audience laugh and highlighting the absurdity of the idea that a woman needs to be ‘brave’ to show her body on screen.
It’s refreshing to see a celebrity use their platform to challenge body shaming and promote body positivity. Coughlan’s response is a reminder that all bodies are beautiful and that we should all be proud of who we are, regardless of our size or shape.
As Lena Dunham once wrote, ‘It’s not brave to do something that doesn’t scare you. I’d be brave to skydive. To visit a leper colony. To argue a case in the United States Supreme Court or go to a CrossFit gym. Performing in sex scenes that I direct, exposing a flash of my weird puffy nipple, those things don’t fall into my zone of terror.’
It’s clear that Coughlan is done answering questions about her body. And perhaps it’s time for all of us—rando male journalists in particular—to stop asking them.
