The Victorian process of young women debuting - or "coming out" - into society plays a vital role in both The Gilded Age and Bridgerton, which leads many to question why Gladys has not yet come out, when Bridgerton begins with Daphne's presentation to society. Examining exactly what it means to come out, as well as each girl's circumstances, sheds more light on why Gladys cannot enter society while Daphne can. This also serves to highlight the different contexts of the different show's settings.
In The Gilded Age, Gladys Russell is frustrated that her mother Bertha will not facilitate her debut, even though Gladys is old enough. Bertha insists that she wants Gladys to come out in a ball at their mansion – which means she will have to wait until her mother is accepted enough into old money society to be able to fill a ballroom with guests. In contrast, Daphne is presented at court to the Queen, which proves The Gilded Age season 1's inciting incident.
Bridgerton and The Gilded Age take place around seventy years apart from each other, but many debutante traditions changed very little in that time. However, differences between Daphne and Gladys's social standing ultimately affect the way each is brought out. This, combined with the traditions surrounding debutantes, ensure Gladys would not find a significant change to her lifestyle if she came out at this point in the show, which is why she has to wait longer than Daphne.
In Britain, noble and wealthy families began the tradition of introducing their daughters to society by presenting them to the reigning monarch; however, "presentation" also occurred via debutante balls. These announced that a daughter was allowed to emerge from her parents' close guardianship and begin the courtship rituals that would ideally lead to strategic marriage. Wealthy American families such as the Astors adopted the debutante ball tradition. Before her debut, a girl would not have been able to socialize at balls and parties that formed an essential part of 19th-century life. Coming out was therefore not only coveted as a way to finally meet young men, but as the time when one could finally go to fun events previously deemed "unsuitable." It was even expected that, as part of coming out, girls would buy a new wardrobe to be able to attend these events. Girls were usually presented as teenagers, which probably means that Gladys, being older than the average debutante, is around 18-21.
Daphne's and Gladys's experiences partly differ because of their respective ranks, and in no small part because of the Bridgerton family's aristocratic family tree. Daphne is a noblewoman; her brother is a Viscount, the fourth highest rank of British peerage. Gladys is nouveau riche: Her mother Bertha is "a potato digger's daughter." To the old money elite, the Russells are peasants whose attempts to join them is both impudent and offensive. Meanwhile, the Bridgertons are not only aristocrats, but very wealthy. Daphne (in a world without Anthony's meddling) has every advantage in the social world.
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Gladys could have come out earlier if Bertha were satisfied with having "new money" friends, and with marrying Gladys into new money. However, Bertha's ambitions run higher, and this stalls Gladys's debut. Gladys cannot have the old money suitors Bertha wants for her if she is not presented to old money society; however, she cannot be presented to this society until her family is accepted enough that a party's worth of desirable people would be willing to attend Gladys's debut. In a time where most thrills lay in social events closed off to those who had not come out, it is understandable that Gladys is so impatient. However, the Russells for now do not get invited to such events. It doesn't make sense for a girl to go into society if she has no society to go into; part of the process is supposed to be that now she can be invited everywhere, and this would not happen if Gladys were introduced now. In short, the Russells are not like the Bridgertons. Even worse, they want to be accepted by the people who are (albeit without the noble titles). This combination of circumstances dooms The Gilded Age's Gladys Russell to a wait that Bridgerton's Daphne never had to experience.
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