Here's why Penelope Featherington decided to be Lady Whistledown in Bridgerton. Aside from its take on London's high society during Regency, it also drew justified comparisons to Gossip Girl due to its own mysterious gossip writer in Lady Whistledown. Bridgerton is technically about the titular family, particularly Daphne's romance with the Duke of Hastings, Simon Bassett, at least in its first season but the show's most interesting character is arguably Lady Whistledown. Throughout its run, the author of the society's newsletter revealed new scandalous tidbits that had its readers hooked — even the Queen herself. Not everyone was a fan of hers, however, especially those who tended to find themselves at the center of her regular releases. Regardless of what everyone truly felt about her existence and work, there's no denying that she had immense power over how anyone was perceived in Bridgerton since most just couldn't help themselves but check her newsletter.
Unlike Gossip Girl, which waited until the very last season to reveal the true identity of its titular character, Bridgerton decided to out the high society gossiper's persona at the end of season 1. As it turns out, it was Penelope Featherington all along. Tapping Julie Andrews to provide the voice for Lady Whistledown was a clever deceptive move as it floated the idea that the real Lady Whistledown was older, and someone's who's a little bit removed from the happenings during that particular season. This was also reflected in how her newsletters were written, further preserving the fantasy.
So, when Bridgerton season 1 unveiled Penelope as the real Lady Whistledown, it came as a shock. But why would someone like the Featherington daughter who's far too involved in the current season want to be a societal gossiper in the first place? Looking at how her life has turned out in the show thus far, it's a mix of different reasons including how she was treated by her own family. While Penelope came from a relatively well-known clan, the Featheringtons did not have the same prestige as the Bridgertons have, putting them below the social ladder. That already made her an after-thought in terms of prominence in Bridgerton. This feeling of being an outsider was further exacerbated by how her own family treated her. Pen's sisters, Phillips and Prudence weren't exactly close to her; in fact, they can be downright mean, typically degrading her appearance which wasn't ideal during this time period.
The Featheringtons' first scene on the show effectively captured this toxic family dynamic when Penelope bargained to sit out the current season and try out next year instead; her mother was immediately dismissive of the idea, while her sisters mocked her for it. It's clear that Penelope was different from the rest of the Featheringtons; she's insightful and kind, as proven by her friendship towards Marina, although that went on a different direction once Colin got involved. Nevertheless, Penelope's decision to be Lady Whistledown was her way to uphold the virtues she believed the society she's supposedly belonged to should have.
By adopting a fake persona, Penelope also reclaimed her agency — something that she barely had in her family, let alone the rest of the society. As Lady Whistledown, she had the power to make or ruin someone's reputation; people finally paid attention to her. While she's not as vile and corrupt as Dan was in Gossip Girl, actually being careful with the juicy information she revealed throughout Bridgerton season 1, Penelope definitely felt empowered by her secret alter-ego, as proven by the determined and sly smile she had at the end of the show — an expression she never made in other instances on the show. Now that her real identity is out, it's safe to assume that the potential Bridgerton season 2 will feature more of how Penelope crafts her newsletter as Lady Whistledown