There is an exhausting expectation placed on women in the public eye to represent broader movements they never actively chose to lead. In Coughlan’s case, she found herself positioned as a symbol of body positivity simply by existing as an actress who doesn’t conform to narrow industry norms.
She also pushed back against the label “plus size,” revealing that she was around a UK size 8 to 10 while filming the intimate scenes for the series. “When I was shooting, I was exercising a lot because I knew I had to, so I had lost a bunch of weight — I was probably a size 10 and one of the corsets was a size 8,” she explained.
“And then people talked about how I was plus size and I was like, ‘How messed up are we that I am the biggest woman you want to see on screen?’”
Her comments highlight a broader cultural confusion about size labels within the fashion and entertainment industries, where categories often feel disconnected from real-world averages. For many viewers, it can be jarring that an actress considered “larger” by industry standards would be anywhere close to what most people would consider average.
Tim Whitby/BAFTA/Getty Images
More than the labels themselves, Coughlan has spoken about how invasive it can feel to have her body become a subject of public commentary. She recalled a moment when a very drunk fan approached her in a bathroom and said they loved Bridgerton “because of your body” before continuing to talk about her appearance in detail.
“I was like, ‘I want to die. I hate this so much,’” she said.
Ultimately, Coughlan has argued that the intense focus on appearance risks diminishing the immense work actors put into their craft. Filming a major romantic season of Bridgerton involved months of production, emotional investment, and time away from family — efforts she feels are too often reduced to superficial commentary.