Spoiler: The ton’s gossip-mongering is historically accurate

Bridgerton is known for blurring the rules of history with modern details.

According to the book series it’s based on, the period drama takes place between 1813 and 1827 in England’s Regency Era. Yet it features many 21st-century twists, including modern music in a classical setting, such as Taylor Swift’s “Wildest Dreams” and Ariana Grande’s “Thank U, Next.”

As 18th and 19th-century historian Dr. Lizzie Rogers — who taught a regency course for BBC History in January 2024 — points out to PEOPLE, Bridgerton is a period drama, not a documentary.

“Part of it is storytelling as much as it’s representing history,” she clarifies.

Still, she acknowledges that the show’s producers, set and costume designers got a lot right when it comes to the show’s finer details, from its setting to the ton’s penchant for gossip.

Although she hasn’t addressed how she picked Bridgerton‘s actors, the series has elements of executive producer Shonda Rhimes’ practice of open-casting — wherein casting calls do not have set races or last names.

She became known for the production choice in 2005 with the premiere of the multicultural Grey’s Anatomy. Bridgerton seems to follow in the medical drama’s footsteps by paying no attention to true race relations in the Regency Era and instead opting for a diverse cast.

To find out what other liberties the series has taken with its historical accuracy, PEOPLE tapped Rogers to analyze everything from the fashion and beauty displayed by its characters to their social graces.

Here is everything to know about how accurate Bridgerton really is.

Bridgerton‘s sultry fashion is “historically accurate”

According to Rogers, the show’s biggest fashion trend — the empire-waist dresses frequently worn by Daphne and Eloise Bridgerton, Cressida Cowper and Kate and Edwina Sharma — is largely true to real life.

While Rogers says the fabrics and designs of the character’s gowns are “a lot more elaborate” than what they would have been back then, their shape is correct.

“They really get that silhouette right,” she says of the style, which was reportedly popularized by Napoleon Bonaparte’s wife Joséphine Bonaparte. “That empire [waistline] is so iconic of that period.”

As the historian points out, only Queen Charlotte, who ascended the throne in 1761, favored the corsets and poofy skirts made popular in the earlier 18th century. The spinoff series, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, followed this silhouette rule closely, styling the young queen (played by India Amarteifio) in more traditional dresses.

“That’s pretty historically accurate, because [Queen Charlotte] … was quite old-fashioned,” Rogers says. “She really … stuck to those fashions while everybody else was moving [on] with this empire waist, these short sleeves, these wide, low necklines.”

More than just showing off the cast’s décolletage, Rogers says the square necklines seen on the Bridgerton women reflect the sultry style of the time.

“We tend to think of [19th century] women being quite … strictly controlled because of propriety … but actually [their dresses] were very low-cut,” she says. “Some [women] would even wet the skirt so that [it] clung to their legs.”

One big difference between the fashion seen in the series and that of real-life 19th-century women is their lack of headpieces. “They’ve chosen not to have women in bonnets,” Rogers says of Bridgerton’s showrunners. “Women would very much be wearing bonnets in that period.”

Rogers explains: “Hats were a really important part of … leaving the house and part of the overall look of a woman’s fashion. It was seen as being very put together.”

The hairstyles are “classic” Regency looks — with a twist

With no hats to cover their heads, viewers see far more of the Bridgerton ladies’ hairstyles than would have been proper for the time period. What fans do see is based on historical customs, however: Rogers points to Daphne’s pulled-back style with face-framing fringe and curls as a Regency “classic.”

According to Rogers, the hairstyles seen in Bridgerton are also symbolic of the characters’ ages. “They do a good job of separating … the younger women, who aren’t quite out in society, with their hair being down, [with] the women who are out in society, with their hair being up,” she says.

Some cast members, like Cressida, have hair that’s used for storytelling. “They really go overboard [with the hairstyles] in Bridgerton to play up the different characters,” Rogers says, citing Cressida’s frequent “spiky” styles mirroring her catty demeanor.

Queen Charlotte’s elaborate wigs, meanwhile, much like her fashion choices, have their roots in an earlier time period. “That was something [that was] really popular throughout the 18th century,” Rogers notes.

Producers may have missed the mark with the absence of shorter cuts, however. Rogers says people in the later Victorian society valued long hair above all else, but those in the Regency period found short tresses “becoming more fashionable.”

“It was … becoming a little bit popular … for women to crop their hair,” Rogers says, adding, “You don’t see this in the show so much.”

The sets hold up (especially those “Bridgerton blues”)

When it comes to the opulent, visually stunning sets seen on Bridgerton, Rogers says they would “definitely be reserved for the wealthy.”

The real-life surroundings of those living in the Regency Era were likely far more splendid than the show’s fans might have envisioned, though.

“They really [loved] color,” Rogers says of London’s Regency nobles. What’s more, she says features like fancy furniture, intricate wallpaper, fine art and books would often be on display in 19th-century homes during the social season.

“That was really important to … show your wealth [and] your social standing,” Rogers explains.

Production designer Will Hughes-Jones took some contemporary liberties in the form of Eloise’s chosen wall art. As Rogers points out, her room features a poster of British feminist and writer Mary Wollstonecraft. “It’s kind of like how I, as a teenager, would have my idols on the wall,” the historian remarks.

As for those famous “Bridgerton blues,” Rogers says they’re in line with the pastel colors that were wildly popular at the time. “I think they hit on a really great color there,” she adds.

Yes, they had coming-out balls — and gossip columns!

One of the biggest societal traditions highlighted in Bridgerton is that of the coming-out ball.

According to Rogers, such balls had their origins in the Tudor period (1485 to 1603). “With Elizabeth I, they present women at court and they become ladies in waiting,” she says.

The practice carried through to 1780 when King George III started Queen Charlotte’s Ball in honor of his wife’s birthday. “[It was] supposed to … show off the royal family a little bit, but also their philanthropic efforts, because the ball would be in aid of [Queen Charlotte’s & Chelsea Hospital],” Rogers says.

Over time, the event became the perfect occasion to introduce women to society. “They have to be presented by a family member who [had] also been presented at court,” Rogers says of its participants, who were often “beginners in society” of “about 16 to 18 years old.”

She adds: “We get that pomp and circumstance from Bridgerton.”

According to Rogers, the ton’s gossip-mongering is also historically accurate. “They did have gossip columns,” Rogers says. “They say that the printing press is one of … the most important inventions in history. During the Regency period, they invent steam printing, so they can pass things around … [even more] quickly.”

Though the mode of distribution for Lady Whistledown’s scandal sheets is pretty true to form, Rogers says its content likely would have differed. “They loved gossip and scandal during the 18th and early 19th century — but there’s an important difference,” she says, “They wouldn’t have named people in it.”

The author continues: “If you saw [gossip] in a real column … it would be done in a way that people would know who was talked about, but they wouldn’t directly say it, because it got them around libel laws.”

The Regency-inspired gossip and drama continues when part one of Bridgerton‘s season 3 debuts on May 16.