Nicola Coughlan Said Being Called A “Plus-Size Heroine” Is Insulting — And, Honestly, I Agree

Nicola Coughlan is speaking out against the weight-focused labels being placed upon her.

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Season 3 of Bridgerton shined a light on Nicola’s character Penelope Featherington and her will-they, won’t-they relationship with Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton). It was filled with a steamy carriage scene that people could not stop talking about.

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But another moment that kept viewers talking was when Nicola shed her clothes for an intimate scene, which left some fans calling her “brave” for doing so. Recently named one of TIME’s Next Generation Leaders, she opened up to the magazine about why she didn’t appreciate the implications that word brought.

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“Don’t call me brave,” Nicola told TIME in response to her nude scenes and her body in general. “I have a cracking pair of boobs. There’s nothing brave about that; that’s actually just me showing them off.”

“I’m a few sizes below the average size of a woman in the U.K., and I’m seen as a ‘plus-size heroine.’ Making it about how I look is reductive and boring.”

Nicola added that she worked her “arse off” to make Bridgerton‘s third season, so for there to be so much commentary about her body felt like an insult.

“I barely saw my family and friends, and people were just going, ‘But your body’ … I don’t take it as nice. What if I was suddenly going to play a ballerina and lose a shit ton of weight, are you not going to like me anymore? That’s insane and so insulting.”

What made the nudity scenes so special for her is because they were her idea. She was able to dictate what she was comfortable with and how much she wanted to show.

“There’s one scene where I’m very naked on camera, and that was my idea, my choice,” Nicola told Stylist (per People) back in May. “It just felt like the biggest ‘fuck you’ to all the conversation surrounding my body; it was amazingly empowering.”

“I felt beautiful in the moment, and I thought: ‘When I’m 80, I want to look back on this and remember how fucking hot I looked!’ Not only did I consent to it, but I drove it.”

I agree with Nicola’s sentiments completely. While I’m sure people had good intentions when deeming her “brave” and a “heroine,” it actually just perpetuates a belief that her body type isn’t beautiful…that it’s surprising that she would want to show it off. Just remember, you decide what’s beautiful…don’t let the world do it for you.

To learn more about Nicola, be sure to check out her full TIME interview.

How do you feel about Nicola’s comments? Share your thoughts below!