**Warning: Contains spoilers for Bridgerton season 3 part 2.** Mirrors have always held a bewitching power over women – the power to shame, embolden, envy, as we look into it and lament: who is the fairest of them all? A modern-day tragedy is that most women don’t perceive themselves as beautiful, due to impossible beauty standards that are perpetuated on and off-screen. Prior to season 3 of Bridgerton, Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) measured herself against these standards and struggled to perceive herself as beautiful.
Instead, she is a self-described spinster who felt she didn’t belong in the spotlight but at “the edge of the room”. As the season progresses, Penelope sheds her former gaudy gowns and reinvents her sense of style to try and re-establish her sense of self. Forever viewed as a friend rather than a lover, Penelope endeavours to change this outlook on herself and strive to find a husband with the assistance of her constant companion, Colin (Luke Newton).
By episode 5, Colin and Penelope are engaged, but Penelope is still in awe of Colin’s interest in her. In an effort to help Penelope 'see' what he sees in her, Colin turns her to face a mirror to try and tell her what he sees, before he confesses: "You should see it as well." Colin describes qualities that he loves about her and admits that she "make[s] me feel seen in ways I’ve never felt before".
As an act of love, Colin wants Penelope to feel the same way, not only seen by him, but for.
