This is so so so good. I’ve been trying to wrestle with why I feel let down by Meghan even when she’s done nothing wrong. But B.N (before Netflix), I fully subscribed to Meghan Wolf #1 version…and thought she was the coolest. Now, I think she’s just like all my elder millennial mom friends. Which isn't bad…but it’s certainly not aspirational.
Side note: However, as a Black woman, I will be buying all the jam in support of our girl.
YES you nailed it!!!!! I was still trying to fit the wolf 2 as a side plot to wolf 1 but then when I saw her shopmy nail polish (through the ™️ nails are political framework LOL) I was like wait I’ve gotten this all wrong, wolf 1 & 2 are like molecules that create a new compound, and we have never seen anything like it (thus, have nowhere to place her, esp bc .. via muse/influencer framework, she isn’t even helping us by placing HERSELF)
ALSO agree!!! Meghan haters fuel me😭 — I too will be stocking up on that jam. After reading so much banal commentary on her (a princess living in Montecito..) being unrelatable?? I watched the show on a loop and muted as background bc it’s so beautiful AND I wanted her to get a second season😭😭😭 I’m HERE & my wallet is too😂
As always, I appreciate you. I think the frustrating disconnect for me is the underlying racism for MMS. The tier four women that you mentioned are all very wealthy white women. Yet, as you mention, people never balk at the fact that they are monetizing their taste. Yet with MMS, even before she hit us with her lifestyle, brand white women always had something to say. I would really love for people to unpack why it doesn't sit right for them to see Black women (we won't get into colorism) living leisurely lives. This part is very niche but it's akin to the woman who posted on TikTok about NYC influencers being boring. Only to do some quick recon and notice zero diversity in the influencers she was following. The conversation about who is expected to live in leisure versus who is not is telling.
Zoe Kravitz is an interesting comparative case study!!! I’d wanted to include but she doesn’t monetize anything aside from her craft and her image and I didn’t want to over explain her dynamics if not a 1:1 to MMS. But also overall, *no one* has a 1:1 background w/ Meg which is what makes her so hard to place. Agree on the cultural dynamics of race intertwining with respectability politics, it’s impossible to split that from all else. However, I don’t know if that’s the anchor, or if that’s just another thing that intensifies the larger response. I don’t think we’ll ever be able to distill enough to know (unless there’s another Black princess in similar condition who receives the same or different treatment). All to say YES but not the whole pie (which I don’t think you’re saying either!!)
I can’t remember who posted this, but someone wrote a substack about how her social posts are stuck in 2015 (or whenever The Tig was at its peak). I knew there was something off about her IG but I couldn’t pinpoint what it was until they named it.
The whole “iS iT rEcOrDiNg???” schtick is just weird.
As Judge Judy says, “you can’t be smart and dumb at the same time.” So yes, while we contain multitudes, can you claim to be extremely naive (re: royal family, iPhones apparently) and be extremely calculated ($100m Netflix deal) and opaque (“golly! ‘As Ever’ is such a better fit’ instead of ‘LOL no one checked the trademark of ARO, oops’)
Also, I wonder if she’d have better resonance if she embraced the “I’m just a girl” persona (she is, after all, not born into royalty) and instead was like, “hey you guys, this is how the royals do it. This is what I’ve learned.” and had the royal florist on her show to actually teach something useful instead of just her friends.
YESSSSS to the “I’m just a girl”. I think about her doing that all the time, it would be so good!!! Also you typed in exactly her way of speaking and it LANDED, I could feel the accompanying Jenni Kayne clad shoulder shrug through my phone😭.
And yes — part of me wonders if she like didn’t have a phone for mental health and has been stuck in a time capsule that we have all migrated from and she’s just blissfully unaware??? If that’s the case, she should make a joke about it. It’s giving coma story, the public loves a time capsule if branded right. All she needs to do is successfully (without artifice) break the 3rd wall on ONE public grievance and she’ll have already won back so much festering vitriol 😭
“You can’t be smart and dumb at the same time.” Yes!!!! This!!! I think you finally hit the nail on the head as to why she gives me the ick. The I’m so smart but too naive to know better! No one helped me/taught me how to act, yet neither did my fiancée who I was closest with. I think I’m a feminist icon, yet the reason I’m famous/my success is literally only because of who I married. And now, I’m all about love and happiness and everyday life, but also making money and ignore all my past drama
no disrespect but you come across as being blatantly ignorant. harry is a male prince (and spare) therefore his understanding of the way things work in the rf is very limited due to his role so there is no way he could have prepared her enough, especially with her being a woman and biracial. secondly, you clearly don’t understand the meaning of feminism if you think marrying well takes being a feminist away from a woman. lastly, you can be all about love, happiness and everyday life and still make money. you can also move past your drama like every human does because no one likes to dwell in the past. why is it a problem when meghan does it though?
rubbing salt into the millennial wound of niche gay nostalgia, “iS iT rEcOrDiNg???” immediately reminded me of track six on lindsay lohan’s ‘05 album “a little more personal” that starts out “no i like when people talk at the beginning of songs, i think it’s kind of rad..” i don’t think you should use it..” *song begins*
I love everything that you said. I also think one may feel let down because at the end of the day there was no there there. M choosing to lean into being the Duchess/Royal and having that be a big part of her rebrand , and then turning around and monetizing feels bad because she took us on this long journey to at the end of the day just be a capitalist. when you are royal because you’re so privileged, access, money, etc you’re expected to be opposed to the monetization of it all. The choice to monetize her lifestyle may feel ugly because it comes across as capitalistic greed. You have so much and yet you need more. So in essence you’re just like all of us. Maybe we expected more or too much idk.
Totally!!!! Like she is meant to live above us, in a proverbial garden of Eden, where she needs for nothing and always looks perfect. In turn, we give thanks at her altar. Once that contract is broken, it leaves everyone in a very uncomfortable position of ok who are you to me and why should I care?? It’s fascinating how delicate the threads are
The Shopify is just ick. No one wants to give a literal princess affiliate money to buy basic nail polish or reformation or whatever. If you’re going to link, link $30,000 couches so we can at least aspire to you from our ikea couch. Or just, like you said above, be anti-royal every girl. Tell us everything, spill the tea when you sell your jam, link to Maybelline mascara and your unbelievable going out top you found on amazon but somehow be your authentic self instead of just mid. Her brand is contrivance and nobody wants that.
Yes entirely, there’s no clarity so there’s no version of her that we can concretely sink our teeth into — which is incredibly frustrating as someone who is OPEN to consuming
Whew a great read!! She’s definitely leaned into the myth of black capitalism while simultaneously clinging to a white power structure. Frustrating yet predictable - I’m nonetheless excited for Jam!
I really, really want to like Meghan. I was obsessed with her style from the early paparazzi shots when she first started dating PH. She looked so cool with her sunglasses and beanie walking to yoga. I devoured everything she wore as a royal. I die for her monochromatic looks. I think she’s stunning, and I genuinely feel bad for her given how horribly the British press has treated her. I was so excited when I saw the trailer for her new show, but before I even watched an episode, that clip of her talking about her last name started making the rounds on social media… and she lost me. It was so cringe. I browsed through her “shop my recs,” hoping my opinion would change, but nope. A white button down, Frame skinny jeans, a Uniqlo trench coat? Please.
I know I hear you — what sucked about the shopmy is that I LOVED some of the looks on the show!!! Then we have her looks at polo when we get a rare glimpse of her. Also recent philanthropic trips with Harry!!!! I’m always like yes, MORE. And then the shopmy had none of that pizzaz and I legitimately felt sad😭 if you have it in you, I think the show is lovely, there are some moments, but I find it sociological and anthropological as well — if that’s a lens worth exploring for you!!
to be honest there is nothing cringe about her stating her last name lol, it’s HER last name and her friend got it wrong. a lot of people just took it out of context to hate on her. meghan is corny but in a good way but a lot of people use that to hate on her even more.
also the media (especially British media) were already hating on her shopmy calling it too expensive and unattainable. i hate that she waters herself down to avoid hate but i understand it too. it’s easy to say “they going to hate regardless so just do you” when you’re not in the situation or the target of hate.
That scene seemed so scripted to me. I have no issue w/ whatever last name she wants to use, but it seemed so obvious that she and Mindy had a convo in advance. "Hey, make sure you refer to me as Meghan Markle so that I can correct you and thus the rest of the world so everyone knows that I want to be Sussex now!" That's what bothered me about the scene -- the way it went down screamed of pre-planning.
mountbatten-windsor is used for royals without titles, so that’s why their son used it when he was born (because he wasn’t born w any titles). now that their kids have titles, their surname is sussex.
also the show was very wholesome and beautiful (i genuinely enjoyed it and i am not even a fan of cooking shows) yet people were still calling her unrelatable. she can never win tbh.
I couldn’t care less if she’s relatable or not. She’s married to a prince—of course she’s not relatable. But I do want to be wowed by her “shop my recs” because I love the way she dresses, and I wasn’t. And you may not think her going on about her last name and how amazing it is to have the same last name as her kids is cringey, but I did. I mean, it’s such a pedestrian thing—most families share the same last name. It’s hardly groundbreaking. I want to be her fan, but I get why ppl are annoyed by her.
The two things about that clip that I don’t think I’ve seen anyone mention/report on was 1) the actress on that episode seemed to be more of an acquaintance and they were both a bit awkward 2) Meghan didn’t have the same last name as her mom growing up, so it is probably a bit of a novelty.
meghan mentioned that they’re pen pals/mom friends and mindy said in an interview later that she had just given birth so meghan invited her over to do something nice and cook for her. they give mom friends who are busy with their lives but still meet 4 times a year to catchup vibes. also their personalities are very different but you can see that there is a friendship/care there.
about the surname thing, i never thought about it like that but true. i think being a child of divorce and not sharing a surname with your mom is probably a big reason as to why she wants to share a surname with her kids. but also simply the fact that when she married, her surname was no longer Markle and changed to sussex (because of her title).
Thee breakdown we’ve all been waiting for, the culture semiotics of MM / MS. Honestly, spot on. Sometimes I wonder if Meghan just has a team with basic-y marketing influencer taste and they lead her astray from #3. I don’t think her taste is intellectual or mysterious enough for #2. What I would want from her is an old school print magazine with interesting interviews, beautiful photography, lifestyle segments, and shopping recs. I also request an article about her calligraphy practice. Of course, there would be social and website integration to the print media.
Awww THANK YOU. And YES — for the longest time I was like does her team h8 her???? What is going on here???? But it’s more about the projection I have on her than her reality… as for a print mag, if done right it could be so cool. I want her to spill royal tea and teach us how the palace does things. Like the energy of “I don’t owe them anything so let’s TALK” 😭😭
Nailed it! As per usual! I wish she’d perpetually gave 0 fucks and just leaned into the Gwyneth code when it comes to aloofness and not wanting to be relatable at all. The problem is that relatability in the world has become a formulaic approach to “success” amongst everyone and that doesn’t always come off as authentic. I’d always rather see Meghan wear Loro and lean into it.
I agree this is ALL I’ve ever wanted from her. Like my dreams went from her being #1, but then it became clear that she wanted to be more public so I hoped she’d become tier #2 and indirectly profit off of being STEALTH and ELUSIVE and lean into the princess of it all. But then she really made her monetization efforts clear, which bursts the bubble that they don’t need our money.. so I hoped for #3 — which could have been if she just LEANED IN. Instead it still seems like she wants everyone to like her, which is an impossible task for anyone — let alone her?!! To be successful in #3 you have to be ok with alienating a (sometimes large) demo in order to be lauded as MUSE to another. That tradeoff builds a feral community. Clarity😭😭😭
i think she’s slowly but surely accepting the fact that not everyone is going to like her and is just doing her. she still has a long way to go but she’s slowly getting there lol. because truly there is no way she would stunt on her haters by reminding them that she’s a duchess and making it clear that her surname is sussex if she wanted to be globally liked. it’s sad tho that she has to do that because people just hate her for dumb reasons 😭
I do love this, but I do disagree in one aspect, in her not being a muse or/and an influencer. The ‘Meghan effect’ does not lie and many brands have spoken out on her selling power has eclipsed any other A list celeb that has worn their brand. In that aspect, she is a major influencer, I think at one point it was said she was a billion dollar industry. And idk, part of me cringed then the other part of me is glad she’s cashing in on her very lucrative persona. Many people have, including her biggest haters like the Daily Mail who write articles how about she’s awful and not relatable and in the same article have affiliate links to click on for the latest coat she wore.
A VERY IMPORTANT POINT!!!!!! Thank you!!!!! I think the Meghan effect introduces an additional paradox — the fact that she DOES wear fabulous and chic things (I’m often influenced by her too!!), and she DOES compel people to buy, yet she chooses to water down her brand on shopmy by posting a random assortment rather than ALL pieces or an edit of the COOLEST standouts from the show (still dreaming about the ice blue Zimmerman linen short set from episode one??!!! Where was THAT).
So the piece is more about unpacking the dissonance in her brand strategy through some guiding frameworks, but you’ve called out an important nuance that we could use to expand the argument and analyze further. What are people most compelled to buy from her and is her shopmy reflective of that? Lastly, through the lens of shopmy, just better copy on the WHY etc would have ameliorated so much.
Hard agree though, I’m a MMS Stan and want her to win more than anything — she deserves to profit off of it, a cultural reparation if we will LOL
Yes! Like she was phase 1 for a LONG time. That CK chic, mysteries, and untouchable, but this last year she’s moved into a weird phase of her own by having a show and her own Shopify.
She wears cool brands, like cult Gaia (where was that) her VINTAGE finds - whether jewels or coats. Some of her best outfits have had stand out vintage pieces, link the vintage shops you’re browsing! I would love to have seen more of her Etsy store fronts she shops at. I personally don’t hate the J. Crew of it all - middle-class mom of three - but I also am someone who doesn’t follow Meghan because she relates to my price point. She’s one of my escapism’s like Beyonce and most of me Hollywood go-to’s. I’m firmly a, I don’t need a millionaire or billionaire to pretend like they’re frequenting the same stores as me. Please and thank you.
I am always surprised (again middle-class mother of three) at her ability to sell out luxury brands. Like you got a cool grand to spend on shoes, let me sit here in awe and a healthy amount of jealousy.
Also, her influence over other royal woman/aristocracy is often overlooked. She has introduced at least 4 brands to the Royal circle that are frequently worn by Kate, York sisters, etc., now.
Exactly. The Meghan effect and dupe branding is HUGE, and most benefactors of it are white woman. I can’t think of one black or WoC who is in that business, so nice to see a black woman, and the reason for it, getting her paper.
One more point to this great substack, while I think Meghan WANTS to be the cool girl that doesn’t need to capitalize on her influence, she’s not a working royal anymore, aka able to live a wealthy lifestyle off tax payers. She’s got a mortgage for an estate and a security bill some say is 2-3 million a year. Whether she wants to or not, she’s gotta WORK. And it’s clear she’s not willing to go back to the lifestyle she was pre Harry, she’s tasted 1% luxury and would like to maintain that lol.
ALL SO SO SO SO SO TRUE!!!!!!! I love everything you said. There’s so much nuance and complexity here and I’m so grateful for your perspective ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Yes, this!! And there’s nothing wrong with wanting to maintain the luxury lifestyle, but I truly think that with the threats she and Harry have had against their lives, they don’t have much of a choice (even if you could have the $$$ security team guarding a normal 3-bedroom house, at that point, why would you not scale up your income and opt for something larger?) The life-and-death reality/cost of that is not something I see enough people discussing in current coverage of the Sussex’s.
I loved the NYT interview she did, specially when she said ‘I need to work, and I love to work’, like I felt vindicated lmao. I do think Meghan doesn’t do well with idle time (this seemed to be an issue when she was a working royal, she wanted to go, go, go, and they wanted her to slow the fuck down) but the NEED I’m sure is just as strong as the LOVE when it comes to work now. An estate and security we usually only see for ex presidents or royals, ain’t cheap.
Also, similar feedback to what some articles have said about her and Harry’s issues with creating content- they want to share JUST what is comfortable and hold a lot back. But you can’t be withholding AND share. You have to pick one or it doesn’t work.
Yeah the content is too 2015. I think they can learn a lot from the Obamas there. On how to remain personal yet formal/distanced. If they want to be personal and close, then yeah they need to lean in significantly. It’s a tight rope. They should ideally perform a series of experiments to see what sticks and what they feel most comfortable with
Exactly. They will give up some revenue options if they go the Obama route because I can’t picture an Obama with a shopmy page welp (no shade to that approach but she has to go all in if she’s going that route IMO)
Loved this. I’m starting to think the real issue is that CBK, the Olsens, and Gwyneth all have genuinely great taste — I fear our girl Meg is just basic. I also completely understand why her socials feel out of step with the current landscape, given her time away from mainstream life. But I don’t get why she doesn’t have an incredible team of sharp 22y.o’s (or even just one!) advising her on how to navigate it now.
All of this exacerbated by the racists who wanted her to fail in the first place made the shop my nail polish drop so much worse…
Ugh am I a Meghan purist😭 perhaps — I feel like she DOES have great taste but she wastes time blanding it to seem more relatable. Which is what creates this chaos of ok we’re finally at the pot of gold but…. it’s Monopoly money. Imagine how sick it would be if that Loro Piana loom bag was there, her diamonds, etc. She is alienating the demo who could easily shop an authentic edit by pandering to an array of nothing??? Or if she’d said here’s everything I wore under $200!!! Like that makes people feel like they are in on a secret and a tongue in cheek to the high low😭 UGH.
This ShopMy strategy with the everything under $200 would have been so brilliant and I legitimately would have been excited. I think Meghan needs to hire you!
(Meghan if you’re listening……😭😭😭😭☘️☘️☘️☘️) but in all seriousness LOL — there’s so much THERE I just think they need a fresh set of eyes to really explore the bounds of her brand and treat everything like little experiments
i have to disagree. cbk and gwyneth are stylish but their outfits are both basic (but in a good way). meghan’s taste is also the same as theirs, at times even better but we don’t get to see it often due to the fact that for the past 2 years she’s kind of watered herself down a little. maybe it’s because of the constant hate she gets when she goes all out or the fact that she doesn’t really go out that much (also probs due to the hate) but idk.
They are minimalists for sure but with great taste. Yeah, agreed. It's hard to get a true sense of her style because she has to be so cognisant of what's written about her which is sad.
Ugh but remember her taste when she lived in the UK? And even some of her looks in the US. Where did that vision go?! Agree her taste lately has faded.
i think every time she wears expensive things she gets hated on so bad to the point where i think she just “lowered” herself to avoid all the hate. which is sad because we all know her closet is a gold mine lol
Ah I’m so glad it resonates <3. Selfishly I wish they would too, but if I were advising them I’d say under NO circumstance are you to start yapping publicly😭. This architecture fits into their brand codes in a way that is essential for The Row’s (foundational) positioning — brilliant, really
This is so so so good. I’ve been trying to wrestle with why I feel let down by Meghan even when she’s done nothing wrong. But B.N (before Netflix), I fully subscribed to Meghan Wolf #1 version…and thought she was the coolest. Now, I think she’s just like all my elder millennial mom friends. Which isn't bad…but it’s certainly not aspirational.
Side note: However, as a Black woman, I will be buying all the jam in support of our girl.
YES you nailed it!!!!! I was still trying to fit the wolf 2 as a side plot to wolf 1 but then when I saw her shopmy nail polish (through the ™️ nails are political framework LOL) I was like wait I’ve gotten this all wrong, wolf 1 & 2 are like molecules that create a new compound, and we have never seen anything like it (thus, have nowhere to place her, esp bc .. via muse/influencer framework, she isn’t even helping us by placing HERSELF)
ALSO agree!!! Meghan haters fuel me😭 — I too will be stocking up on that jam. After reading so much banal commentary on her (a princess living in Montecito..) being unrelatable?? I watched the show on a loop and muted as background bc it’s so beautiful AND I wanted her to get a second season😭😭😭 I’m HERE & my wallet is too😂
I second all of this. Exactly what I am feeling. Thinking.
As always, I appreciate you. I think the frustrating disconnect for me is the underlying racism for MMS. The tier four women that you mentioned are all very wealthy white women. Yet, as you mention, people never balk at the fact that they are monetizing their taste. Yet with MMS, even before she hit us with her lifestyle, brand white women always had something to say. I would really love for people to unpack why it doesn't sit right for them to see Black women (we won't get into colorism) living leisurely lives. This part is very niche but it's akin to the woman who posted on TikTok about NYC influencers being boring. Only to do some quick recon and notice zero diversity in the influencers she was following. The conversation about who is expected to live in leisure versus who is not is telling.
Zoe Kravitz is an interesting comparative case study!!! I’d wanted to include but she doesn’t monetize anything aside from her craft and her image and I didn’t want to over explain her dynamics if not a 1:1 to MMS. But also overall, *no one* has a 1:1 background w/ Meg which is what makes her so hard to place. Agree on the cultural dynamics of race intertwining with respectability politics, it’s impossible to split that from all else. However, I don’t know if that’s the anchor, or if that’s just another thing that intensifies the larger response. I don’t think we’ll ever be able to distill enough to know (unless there’s another Black princess in similar condition who receives the same or different treatment). All to say YES but not the whole pie (which I don’t think you’re saying either!!)
Appreciate you so much! I am still fucked up after watching Blink Twice. A EHG if there ever was one.
I can’t remember who posted this, but someone wrote a substack about how her social posts are stuck in 2015 (or whenever The Tig was at its peak). I knew there was something off about her IG but I couldn’t pinpoint what it was until they named it.
The whole “iS iT rEcOrDiNg???” schtick is just weird.
As Judge Judy says, “you can’t be smart and dumb at the same time.” So yes, while we contain multitudes, can you claim to be extremely naive (re: royal family, iPhones apparently) and be extremely calculated ($100m Netflix deal) and opaque (“golly! ‘As Ever’ is such a better fit’ instead of ‘LOL no one checked the trademark of ARO, oops’)
Also, I wonder if she’d have better resonance if she embraced the “I’m just a girl” persona (she is, after all, not born into royalty) and instead was like, “hey you guys, this is how the royals do it. This is what I’ve learned.” and had the royal florist on her show to actually teach something useful instead of just her friends.
YESSSSS to the “I’m just a girl”. I think about her doing that all the time, it would be so good!!! Also you typed in exactly her way of speaking and it LANDED, I could feel the accompanying Jenni Kayne clad shoulder shrug through my phone😭.
And yes — part of me wonders if she like didn’t have a phone for mental health and has been stuck in a time capsule that we have all migrated from and she’s just blissfully unaware??? If that’s the case, she should make a joke about it. It’s giving coma story, the public loves a time capsule if branded right. All she needs to do is successfully (without artifice) break the 3rd wall on ONE public grievance and she’ll have already won back so much festering vitriol 😭
I almost choked on “it’s giving coma story.”
Also, why isn’t this show titled, “As ever, Meghan”???
LOLOL @ coma story — and ya as ever, idk man😭 I’ll be buying but we’ve gotta escape 2012 Pinterest poetry
🤌🏼🤌🏼🤌🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
“You can’t be smart and dumb at the same time.” Yes!!!! This!!! I think you finally hit the nail on the head as to why she gives me the ick. The I’m so smart but too naive to know better! No one helped me/taught me how to act, yet neither did my fiancée who I was closest with. I think I’m a feminist icon, yet the reason I’m famous/my success is literally only because of who I married. And now, I’m all about love and happiness and everyday life, but also making money and ignore all my past drama
no disrespect but you come across as being blatantly ignorant. harry is a male prince (and spare) therefore his understanding of the way things work in the rf is very limited due to his role so there is no way he could have prepared her enough, especially with her being a woman and biracial. secondly, you clearly don’t understand the meaning of feminism if you think marrying well takes being a feminist away from a woman. lastly, you can be all about love, happiness and everyday life and still make money. you can also move past your drama like every human does because no one likes to dwell in the past. why is it a problem when meghan does it though?
rubbing salt into the millennial wound of niche gay nostalgia, “iS iT rEcOrDiNg???” immediately reminded me of track six on lindsay lohan’s ‘05 album “a little more personal” that starts out “no i like when people talk at the beginning of songs, i think it’s kind of rad..” i don’t think you should use it..” *song begins*
I love everything that you said. I also think one may feel let down because at the end of the day there was no there there. M choosing to lean into being the Duchess/Royal and having that be a big part of her rebrand , and then turning around and monetizing feels bad because she took us on this long journey to at the end of the day just be a capitalist. when you are royal because you’re so privileged, access, money, etc you’re expected to be opposed to the monetization of it all. The choice to monetize her lifestyle may feel ugly because it comes across as capitalistic greed. You have so much and yet you need more. So in essence you’re just like all of us. Maybe we expected more or too much idk.
Totally!!!! Like she is meant to live above us, in a proverbial garden of Eden, where she needs for nothing and always looks perfect. In turn, we give thanks at her altar. Once that contract is broken, it leaves everyone in a very uncomfortable position of ok who are you to me and why should I care?? It’s fascinating how delicate the threads are
Genius, perfect, no notes, immediate upgrade to paid.
Wow I’m so touched, pieces like this feel like trying to fit clouds into a bottle — truly means everything that it was resonant <3 thank you <3
I’ve yet to read this entire piece all the way through but ain’t nobody ask about that basic ass clear-ish coat nail polish from the show.
I mean😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 the beauty edit was what made me scrap my original Tuesday letter and go down this maze LOL
😂😂😂
NOBODY
The Shopify is just ick. No one wants to give a literal princess affiliate money to buy basic nail polish or reformation or whatever. If you’re going to link, link $30,000 couches so we can at least aspire to you from our ikea couch. Or just, like you said above, be anti-royal every girl. Tell us everything, spill the tea when you sell your jam, link to Maybelline mascara and your unbelievable going out top you found on amazon but somehow be your authentic self instead of just mid. Her brand is contrivance and nobody wants that.
Yes entirely, there’s no clarity so there’s no version of her that we can concretely sink our teeth into — which is incredibly frustrating as someone who is OPEN to consuming
Whew a great read!! She’s definitely leaned into the myth of black capitalism while simultaneously clinging to a white power structure. Frustrating yet predictable - I’m nonetheless excited for Jam!
Thank you🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍 EXCITED FOR JAM!!!!!!!!!
I really, really want to like Meghan. I was obsessed with her style from the early paparazzi shots when she first started dating PH. She looked so cool with her sunglasses and beanie walking to yoga. I devoured everything she wore as a royal. I die for her monochromatic looks. I think she’s stunning, and I genuinely feel bad for her given how horribly the British press has treated her. I was so excited when I saw the trailer for her new show, but before I even watched an episode, that clip of her talking about her last name started making the rounds on social media… and she lost me. It was so cringe. I browsed through her “shop my recs,” hoping my opinion would change, but nope. A white button down, Frame skinny jeans, a Uniqlo trench coat? Please.
I know I hear you — what sucked about the shopmy is that I LOVED some of the looks on the show!!! Then we have her looks at polo when we get a rare glimpse of her. Also recent philanthropic trips with Harry!!!! I’m always like yes, MORE. And then the shopmy had none of that pizzaz and I legitimately felt sad😭 if you have it in you, I think the show is lovely, there are some moments, but I find it sociological and anthropological as well — if that’s a lens worth exploring for you!!
to be honest there is nothing cringe about her stating her last name lol, it’s HER last name and her friend got it wrong. a lot of people just took it out of context to hate on her. meghan is corny but in a good way but a lot of people use that to hate on her even more.
also the media (especially British media) were already hating on her shopmy calling it too expensive and unattainable. i hate that she waters herself down to avoid hate but i understand it too. it’s easy to say “they going to hate regardless so just do you” when you’re not in the situation or the target of hate.
That scene seemed so scripted to me. I have no issue w/ whatever last name she wants to use, but it seemed so obvious that she and Mindy had a convo in advance. "Hey, make sure you refer to me as Meghan Markle so that I can correct you and thus the rest of the world so everyone knows that I want to be Sussex now!" That's what bothered me about the scene -- the way it went down screamed of pre-planning.
is it her last name though?
Yes it is! Royals with titles use their title as their surname. When Harry and William were younger they used Wales as their surname.
Thanks because I thought it was Mountbatten !
mountbatten-windsor is used for royals without titles, so that’s why their son used it when he was born (because he wasn’t born w any titles). now that their kids have titles, their surname is sussex.
Thank you for that! The son having it was where I got confused. You certainly know your royals!
also the show was very wholesome and beautiful (i genuinely enjoyed it and i am not even a fan of cooking shows) yet people were still calling her unrelatable. she can never win tbh.
I couldn’t care less if she’s relatable or not. She’s married to a prince—of course she’s not relatable. But I do want to be wowed by her “shop my recs” because I love the way she dresses, and I wasn’t. And you may not think her going on about her last name and how amazing it is to have the same last name as her kids is cringey, but I did. I mean, it’s such a pedestrian thing—most families share the same last name. It’s hardly groundbreaking. I want to be her fan, but I get why ppl are annoyed by her.
it’s not a groundbreaking thing for you or me because we’re “normal” people lol. she’s a duchess so things work differently there 🤣
The two things about that clip that I don’t think I’ve seen anyone mention/report on was 1) the actress on that episode seemed to be more of an acquaintance and they were both a bit awkward 2) Meghan didn’t have the same last name as her mom growing up, so it is probably a bit of a novelty.
meghan mentioned that they’re pen pals/mom friends and mindy said in an interview later that she had just given birth so meghan invited her over to do something nice and cook for her. they give mom friends who are busy with their lives but still meet 4 times a year to catchup vibes. also their personalities are very different but you can see that there is a friendship/care there.
about the surname thing, i never thought about it like that but true. i think being a child of divorce and not sharing a surname with your mom is probably a big reason as to why she wants to share a surname with her kids. but also simply the fact that when she married, her surname was no longer Markle and changed to sussex (because of her title).
This might be a Magnum Opus. We need more of this caliber of writing, insight, nuance and perspective on substack
Wow thank you so much 🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍
Thee breakdown we’ve all been waiting for, the culture semiotics of MM / MS. Honestly, spot on. Sometimes I wonder if Meghan just has a team with basic-y marketing influencer taste and they lead her astray from #3. I don’t think her taste is intellectual or mysterious enough for #2. What I would want from her is an old school print magazine with interesting interviews, beautiful photography, lifestyle segments, and shopping recs. I also request an article about her calligraphy practice. Of course, there would be social and website integration to the print media.
Awww THANK YOU. And YES — for the longest time I was like does her team h8 her???? What is going on here???? But it’s more about the projection I have on her than her reality… as for a print mag, if done right it could be so cool. I want her to spill royal tea and teach us how the palace does things. Like the energy of “I don’t owe them anything so let’s TALK” 😭😭
Nailed it! As per usual! I wish she’d perpetually gave 0 fucks and just leaned into the Gwyneth code when it comes to aloofness and not wanting to be relatable at all. The problem is that relatability in the world has become a formulaic approach to “success” amongst everyone and that doesn’t always come off as authentic. I’d always rather see Meghan wear Loro and lean into it.
I agree this is ALL I’ve ever wanted from her. Like my dreams went from her being #1, but then it became clear that she wanted to be more public so I hoped she’d become tier #2 and indirectly profit off of being STEALTH and ELUSIVE and lean into the princess of it all. But then she really made her monetization efforts clear, which bursts the bubble that they don’t need our money.. so I hoped for #3 — which could have been if she just LEANED IN. Instead it still seems like she wants everyone to like her, which is an impossible task for anyone — let alone her?!! To be successful in #3 you have to be ok with alienating a (sometimes large) demo in order to be lauded as MUSE to another. That tradeoff builds a feral community. Clarity😭😭😭
…MM has no chilllll…
i think she’s slowly but surely accepting the fact that not everyone is going to like her and is just doing her. she still has a long way to go but she’s slowly getting there lol. because truly there is no way she would stunt on her haters by reminding them that she’s a duchess and making it clear that her surname is sussex if she wanted to be globally liked. it’s sad tho that she has to do that because people just hate her for dumb reasons 😭
I do love this, but I do disagree in one aspect, in her not being a muse or/and an influencer. The ‘Meghan effect’ does not lie and many brands have spoken out on her selling power has eclipsed any other A list celeb that has worn their brand. In that aspect, she is a major influencer, I think at one point it was said she was a billion dollar industry. And idk, part of me cringed then the other part of me is glad she’s cashing in on her very lucrative persona. Many people have, including her biggest haters like the Daily Mail who write articles how about she’s awful and not relatable and in the same article have affiliate links to click on for the latest coat she wore.
A VERY IMPORTANT POINT!!!!!! Thank you!!!!! I think the Meghan effect introduces an additional paradox — the fact that she DOES wear fabulous and chic things (I’m often influenced by her too!!), and she DOES compel people to buy, yet she chooses to water down her brand on shopmy by posting a random assortment rather than ALL pieces or an edit of the COOLEST standouts from the show (still dreaming about the ice blue Zimmerman linen short set from episode one??!!! Where was THAT).
So the piece is more about unpacking the dissonance in her brand strategy through some guiding frameworks, but you’ve called out an important nuance that we could use to expand the argument and analyze further. What are people most compelled to buy from her and is her shopmy reflective of that? Lastly, through the lens of shopmy, just better copy on the WHY etc would have ameliorated so much.
Hard agree though, I’m a MMS Stan and want her to win more than anything — she deserves to profit off of it, a cultural reparation if we will LOL
Yes! Like she was phase 1 for a LONG time. That CK chic, mysteries, and untouchable, but this last year she’s moved into a weird phase of her own by having a show and her own Shopify.
She wears cool brands, like cult Gaia (where was that) her VINTAGE finds - whether jewels or coats. Some of her best outfits have had stand out vintage pieces, link the vintage shops you’re browsing! I would love to have seen more of her Etsy store fronts she shops at. I personally don’t hate the J. Crew of it all - middle-class mom of three - but I also am someone who doesn’t follow Meghan because she relates to my price point. She’s one of my escapism’s like Beyonce and most of me Hollywood go-to’s. I’m firmly a, I don’t need a millionaire or billionaire to pretend like they’re frequenting the same stores as me. Please and thank you.
I am always surprised (again middle-class mother of three) at her ability to sell out luxury brands. Like you got a cool grand to spend on shoes, let me sit here in awe and a healthy amount of jealousy.
Also, her influence over other royal woman/aristocracy is often overlooked. She has introduced at least 4 brands to the Royal circle that are frequently worn by Kate, York sisters, etc., now.
Exactly. The Meghan effect and dupe branding is HUGE, and most benefactors of it are white woman. I can’t think of one black or WoC who is in that business, so nice to see a black woman, and the reason for it, getting her paper.
One more point to this great substack, while I think Meghan WANTS to be the cool girl that doesn’t need to capitalize on her influence, she’s not a working royal anymore, aka able to live a wealthy lifestyle off tax payers. She’s got a mortgage for an estate and a security bill some say is 2-3 million a year. Whether she wants to or not, she’s gotta WORK. And it’s clear she’s not willing to go back to the lifestyle she was pre Harry, she’s tasted 1% luxury and would like to maintain that lol.
ALL SO SO SO SO SO TRUE!!!!!!! I love everything you said. There’s so much nuance and complexity here and I’m so grateful for your perspective ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Yes, this!! And there’s nothing wrong with wanting to maintain the luxury lifestyle, but I truly think that with the threats she and Harry have had against their lives, they don’t have much of a choice (even if you could have the $$$ security team guarding a normal 3-bedroom house, at that point, why would you not scale up your income and opt for something larger?) The life-and-death reality/cost of that is not something I see enough people discussing in current coverage of the Sussex’s.
I loved the NYT interview she did, specially when she said ‘I need to work, and I love to work’, like I felt vindicated lmao. I do think Meghan doesn’t do well with idle time (this seemed to be an issue when she was a working royal, she wanted to go, go, go, and they wanted her to slow the fuck down) but the NEED I’m sure is just as strong as the LOVE when it comes to work now. An estate and security we usually only see for ex presidents or royals, ain’t cheap.
Also, similar feedback to what some articles have said about her and Harry’s issues with creating content- they want to share JUST what is comfortable and hold a lot back. But you can’t be withholding AND share. You have to pick one or it doesn’t work.
Yeah the content is too 2015. I think they can learn a lot from the Obamas there. On how to remain personal yet formal/distanced. If they want to be personal and close, then yeah they need to lean in significantly. It’s a tight rope. They should ideally perform a series of experiments to see what sticks and what they feel most comfortable with
Exactly. They will give up some revenue options if they go the Obama route because I can’t picture an Obama with a shopmy page welp (no shade to that approach but she has to go all in if she’s going that route IMO)
Loved this. I’m starting to think the real issue is that CBK, the Olsens, and Gwyneth all have genuinely great taste — I fear our girl Meg is just basic. I also completely understand why her socials feel out of step with the current landscape, given her time away from mainstream life. But I don’t get why she doesn’t have an incredible team of sharp 22y.o’s (or even just one!) advising her on how to navigate it now.
All of this exacerbated by the racists who wanted her to fail in the first place made the shop my nail polish drop so much worse…
Ugh am I a Meghan purist😭 perhaps — I feel like she DOES have great taste but she wastes time blanding it to seem more relatable. Which is what creates this chaos of ok we’re finally at the pot of gold but…. it’s Monopoly money. Imagine how sick it would be if that Loro Piana loom bag was there, her diamonds, etc. She is alienating the demo who could easily shop an authentic edit by pandering to an array of nothing??? Or if she’d said here’s everything I wore under $200!!! Like that makes people feel like they are in on a secret and a tongue in cheek to the high low😭 UGH.
This ShopMy strategy with the everything under $200 would have been so brilliant and I legitimately would have been excited. I think Meghan needs to hire you!
(Meghan if you’re listening……😭😭😭😭☘️☘️☘️☘️) but in all seriousness LOL — there’s so much THERE I just think they need a fresh set of eyes to really explore the bounds of her brand and treat everything like little experiments
i have to disagree. cbk and gwyneth are stylish but their outfits are both basic (but in a good way). meghan’s taste is also the same as theirs, at times even better but we don’t get to see it often due to the fact that for the past 2 years she’s kind of watered herself down a little. maybe it’s because of the constant hate she gets when she goes all out or the fact that she doesn’t really go out that much (also probs due to the hate) but idk.
They are minimalists for sure but with great taste. Yeah, agreed. It's hard to get a true sense of her style because she has to be so cognisant of what's written about her which is sad.
Ugh but remember her taste when she lived in the UK? And even some of her looks in the US. Where did that vision go?! Agree her taste lately has faded.
i think every time she wears expensive things she gets hated on so bad to the point where i think she just “lowered” herself to avoid all the hate. which is sad because we all know her closet is a gold mine lol
Been trying to pinpoint how I felt and you nailed it!!! Petition for the Olsen twins to go back to not shutting the f*ck up tho
Ah I’m so glad it resonates <3. Selfishly I wish they would too, but if I were advising them I’d say under NO circumstance are you to start yapping publicly😭. This architecture fits into their brand codes in a way that is essential for The Row’s (foundational) positioning — brilliant, really