For some viewers, the moment they fell in love with Eloise was when she usurped her older brothers' authority and screamed for her sister Daphne to come downstairs. For others, it was when the second-oldest sister loudly asked how babies were born in her family's formal sitting room. And still, some waited until she'd finished lamenting that unless her sister "baked" her latest suitor, she hadn't accomplished anything by getting him.
In short, at some point, Eloise Bridgerton became the quintessential voice of reason in Bridgerton and acquired legions of adoring fans because of her candor, wit, and spirited attitude. The hit Netflix series may focus on Daphne's steamy Regency-era romance with the Duke of Hastings, but to many fans, it's the Eloise Hour, punctuated by her perspicacity and astute observations.
"If your mama does not have your head, your husband soon will."
Bridgerton is full of double entendres and innuendos, some declared vociferously and others delivered with such rapidity that they almost go unnoticed. Eloise has a habit of inserting them right in the middle of respectable dialogue in such a cavalier way that they hide among the frivolity of polite conversation.
When Penelope Featherington warns that Lady Bridgerton will have Eloise's head if she does not, "memorize every last illegible suitor by sight", Eloise fires back with, "If your mama does not have your head, your husband soon will" in a wicked implication of a sexual act true ladies aren't supposed to know anything about.
"If you desire the sun and moon, all you have to do is go out and shoot at the sky. Some of us cannot."
It's difficult for Eloise to live in the early 19th century, which at the time was still very much a man's world. She envies her brothers' ability to be bold and pursue their passions, while she must content herself with the goals of finding a husband and bearing children.
When Benedict, the second-born Bridgerton, seems too shy to pursue a career as an artist, Eloise chastises him by reminding him that everything he desires is within his grasp because of his birthright, yet he chooses to take it for granted. At seventeen, she's expected to enter society and focus on securing a prudent match rather than becoming an author.
"Why would a woman want to draw more notice to the fact she's like a bird squawking for a man's attention in some bizarre ritual?"
It's a well-known fact throughout the series that Eloise doesn't appreciate most aspects of ladies' fashion. She doesn't relish squeezing herself into corsets, nor standing still while a modiste like Madam Delacroix parades colorful dresses in front of her. Her least favorite things are feathers, which often adorn women's hair to add a coquettish touch of whimsy.
Eloise feels the addition of feathers makes women look more like birds squawking for male attention, a pastime she has little use for. She'd much rather purchase a large feather to fashion a quill and write in her journal.
"It was done by a man who sees a woman as nothing other than a decorative object."
While Penelope and Eloise share a strong and unbreakable friendship, they have differing views on women's purpose. Both of their mothers have tried to impress upon them the virtue of honing their feminine charms, but only Penelope seems the least bit intrigued by the idea, and only because of her unrequited crush on Colin Bridgerton.
When Penelope asks after a painting that depicts several nude women, Eloise feels compelled to give a piece of her mind about the nature of its artist. Pen doesn't feel so bad about men viewing women as "decorative objects" because she is never the object of a man's gaze and attention.
"Making simple conversation and pretending not to wince every time a man treads on my toes during a waltz?"
No sooner is Daphne married to the Duke of Hastings than Lady Bridgerton has set her sights on seeing Eloise presented in society. She's already delayed a year, but her mother is convinced that she needs to pay attention to the behavior of her sister so that she can duplicate her marital success.
To Eloise, the entire charade of debuting in society is frivolous and maudlin, and she would prefer nothing more than to make her way in the world as she sees fit, rather than worry about wearing colorful dresses and making sure future suitors don't step on her toes at balls.
"We should both aspire to be just like her. Unmarried, and earning our own money."
Once Eloise becomes enthralled by Lady Whistledown and her street sheet gossip, she cannot contain her enthusiasm over the mysterious author's lifestyle. As she declares so adamantly to Penelope, they should aspire to be exactly like her: unmarried but financially stable.
Unfortunately, marriage was often the only way for ladies of society to keep their positions, as it was looked down upon to have a trade like the Bridgerton's modiste. Lady Whistledown's anonymity lets her lead the exact life she wishes without the spite of the ton.
"I do not share my food."
Eloise has been raised among three brothers, and besides Hyacinth, she reflects their influence much more readily than Daphne or Francesca. When she plops down with a box of chocolate on the couch, she both laments and expects her brother's insistence that she share her saccharine horde.
No sooner can she declare, "I do not share my food." than Benedict is able to rifle a candy from her and Anthony is able to hold out his hand expectantly for her charity. She cannot help but share with them.
"So Daphne is in love. Does she think it an accomplishment? She did not build that man or bake him. He simply showed up."
As Eloise tells Penelope, she cannot fathom why the ton views Daphne's ensnarement of the Duke of Hastings as a laudable act, given that in her eyes it took no real effort to achieve. She feels her sister did nothing to deserve the praise she receives, especially since in Eloise's mind the Duke only selected her for her beauty and not her mind.
Eloise comes to realize later the efforts to which Daphne had to go, and that by being "perfect" as the eldest sibling, it left room for Eloise to be imperfect.
"Having a nice face and pleasant hair is not an accomplishment. You know what is an accomplishment? Attending university!"
Eloise laments throughout the series that women are taught to paint, play the pianoforte, and manage a household, while men are allowed to take travel the continent and attend distinguished universities. As she memorably tells Daphne, her elder sister may want to follow her heart but Eloise wants to further her mind.
Only Penelope understands how ardently Eloise wants to eschew the shackles of society and live life on her own terms, and provides her with a sounding board when she's particularly morose about her position in the world.
"How does a lady come to be with child?"
As whip-smart and intellectually curious as Eloise is, there are some mysteries of life that she hasn't quite discovered. When she brazenly marches into the drawing room of the Bridgerton house and asks, "How does a lady come to be with child?" it makes for one of the most amusing scenes in the series.
That the women in the Bridgerton household should be at such a disadvantage in comparison to their worldly brothers on the matters of sex and reproduction is just one of the many disparities under scrutiny in the series.