The false equivalencies around the “pro” and “anti” camps of Duchess of Sussex bug me. The Meghan-haters claim that everything she does is terrible, that she’s this horrendous diva who made Kate cry and tried to hijack the Queen’s favorite tiara. On the other side, the Meghan-lovers will say that they’re just reacting to all of the hatred, that Meghan is a doll and she’s misunderstood and abused by racists and the UK press… some or all of which is true. I think the world of Meghan, and she’s brought so much interest to the royal family, and so many new fans to the monarchy. People of color feel SEEN by an institution that has centered itself for decades on unearned, titled white privilege. That being said, the Meg-lovers go overboard too. And I think this is one of those times.
Personally, I’m all about this People Magazine cover story this week, where five of Meg’s long-time friends defend her. The first excerpts were full of interesting gossip about Meg’s low-key royal life and how she’s tried to deal with the toxicity of her batsh-t father. But let me also say this: People Mag and Meg’s friends are sort of overdosing on sugar. I mean, I get it. The negative stories were horrible, racist, classist, sexist and abusive. But I’m not sure how wise it is to lean in – to this crazy degree – to the version of Meg who is a saint among women, who is merely a humble servant of God, whose faith is everything:
Meghan Markle has always remained very private about her faith — but it is an essential part of her life.
“Meg is extremely faithful,” a longtime friend tells PEOPLE in this week’s cover story. “We pray a lot together. We meditate. She has had, and especially has now, a very close relationship with God.” Meghan, 37, was baptized into the Church of England in a secret ceremony last spring ahead of her wedding to Prince Harry. And the intimate service, which was a significant nod to Harry’s grandmother, Queen Elizabeth’s role as head of the Church of England, had special meaning for Meghan, as faith is a key pillar for her.
“A deep sense of gratitude and humility has guided her,” the friend continues. “We can still be modern women and feel all the feels with feminism and be strong moms and strong wives but understand that [our] relationship [with God] is so critical.”
Meghan has also grown close to the Archbishop Justin Welby, who not only conducted her baptism, but also officiated her wedding. It’s her respect for the church that leads another close confidante to call rumors that Meghan insisted for St. George’s Chapel to be sprayed with air freshener ahead of the ceremony “outrageous.”
“I can’t think of anything more ridiculous. If people knew how spiritual she is and how serious and respectful she takes her relationship with God—she would never ask for something like that,” the longtime friend adds. “The day after the wedding I said, ‘You were so serene.’ She has a huge loving fondness for Archbishop Welby. She’s like, ‘I’m there, I’m with Harry, I’m with you guys, and I’m with the leader of my church.’ She doesn’t think about the narrative: ‘What will people think?’ She doesn’t do that. She really lives in the current moment. And when you do that, there’s no fear. She and Harry are both very grounded. She has a firm understanding of the things she can and can’t control. And she tries not to put any effort into the things she can’t control.”
It might be true. It might be that there’s no zealot like a convert, and Meg has converted to a lot for Harry. It might be that her relationship with God is deeply personal and profound. But I also think her faith is being used in this performative new narrative which was – please remember – greenlighted by the palace. Part of me thinks “why even bother?” I get what she’s trying to do though – appeal to those old fart ladies who think she’s “uppity” and appeal to the people of faith who might have written her off as a dad-hating divorcee harlot. Again, why bother though?
Photos courtesy of WENN, Avalon Red.
“We can still be modern women and feel all the feels with feminism ” – What does that even mean?
Right? How patronizing, and totally undermining.
I think the friend was trying to politely say Meghan is not a right wing Christian.
yes this
Some people genuinely believe you can call yourself a feminist and still go on to uphold a patriarchal tool (which was created with the sole purpose of socializing women into servitude and men into dominance over women and has been used to oppress women for thousands of years by now) at the same time.
She’s so so cute!!! Love her face. Also , am I the only one who finds the phrase “ has a very close relationship with God” kinda weird? Is it an American type of saying?
I mean I believe in God, but I would never pronounce something like that, it sounds funny/ pretentious
Yes, I think that’s a pretty American thing to say. Well, I shouldn’t say that – maybe other countries use it – but it is a pretty typical statement here, especially from people like politicians who are trying to convince you of the moral correctness of their position. I don’t ask my neighbors if they have a close relationship with God, lol.
Nah it’s not just American. I am Nigerian and it’s a common enough statement here. Christians here irrespective of denomination are encouraged to have a close and intimate relationship with God.
I’m American and I thought it was weird. But someone else responded that it’s typical. I’d guess that maybe it’s regional.
It’s pretty common to hear it in Southern California.
I’m American and that statement applies to me, but I’ve literally never said it. I was raised to be quite private about religion.
I was going to write something similar. I was raised catholic but I can never recall making a statement/hearing someone go on about their relationship towards it. Religion is private and personal.
Yeah, I find it weird too. Nobody’s relationship with God is “closer” than anyone else. Some may have stronger *belief* in God than others, but to imply you are somehow closer to God than others is supercilious b.s.
Americans are very open about religion and if you pay attention American celebrities praise God all the time, oftentimes using the term “Creator” or “Maker” but it’s all the same. I very rarely hear non-American celebrities talk about religion in the same way. I didn’t think that statement was weird because a lot of Americans wear their religion on their sleeves. It’s a very cultural thing.
I am more private about my faith because frankly I’m a bit confused about it and would rather figure it out on my own, that’s just who I am. I also am half French and French people almost never talk about religion openly and are very private about it, so that’s probably where I get that from.
I’m not religious at all but have no problem with the religious aspect of her life being revealed. I had not previously considered whether she was religious or not and find it interesting.
I also think her philanthrophy falls in line with actions I would expect of someone who is deeply spiritual and therefore likely more empathetic towards others. Some people claim to be religious yet are selfish, bigoted & hateful.
Sorry, one thing has nothing to do with the other. I’m more likely to believe she was an empathetic person than all this religion stuff. She converted to get married. Lots of people do that. She doesn’t need to be on her knees every day in the chapel to prove how empathetic she is or whatever.
Oh Lord. Another thing people will take issue with and use to fuel their dislike for her 🤦🏽♀️
Wait until the baby is born and the “Mommy shamers” take issue with how she raises her child.
Someone will always be hateful and negative towards Meghan no matter what she does. Some people just have it made in their minds to find fault. Meghan should continue doing what is best for her and her family. She cannot please everyone.
I said yesterday that these articles can quickly go over the top and I think we are seeing that here. It’s interesting to hear more about her faith, but this really does make her sound like she is just a saint living among us.
This People story is funny though bc it is SO obviously designed to counteract every negative story of the past 6 months. “Meghan is so religious, air freshener-gate HAS to be made up!”
Anyway – like I said yesterday, if this is a one and done article, then fine. But if we have weeks of these kinds of stories – I think it may end hurting Meghan. I think many stopped taking Kate seriously when every article was about how amazing she was, how gifted a photographer, how involved as a wife, how into homemaking, etc.
The new PR guy’s strategy is super obvious. They are targeting each “complaint” against her systematically. Which isn’t a bad idea, it’s just too over the top and therefore seems not genuine which is sad her team did her dirty like this.
This PR is cringe worthy! It’s so embarrassing at this point.
Agree, they need to dial it back a little.
” I get what she’s trying to do though –… appeal to the people of faith who might have written her off as a dad-hating divorcee harlot. Again, why bother though?”
I don’t get it either. Those people aren’t going to be happy with faith being used as a PR card in People. This might insult the people it’s trying to get onboard.
I think all the anonymous words would have been better “seen”. Megan attending church. Meghan using her kitchen for Hubb event (the women could cook a recipe together in celebration of their recent award). Meghan not wearing couture for visits with people struggling (galas and royal family events bespoke is more fitting).
Eliza yes to everything you said. Instead of using her religion in the press… if she is really religious, wouldn’t we see that? Like she’d get pap’d at church, or participate in a church event ? Don’t get me wrong- I am a Meghan supporter and think she is doing a lot of good. This is just too much.
She may be a person of great faith, but not necessarily a person of religion. Or it may be that outside of Christmas and memorial events, the paps are asked not to photograph the BRF attending weekly services. Presumably HM attends weekly, but she is not photographed.
Hello fellow Eliza. 😉
IMO her current PR approach is kind of schizo.
We see her wearing expensive clothes and clearly enjoying the perks of living the life as a BRF member (good for her). And at the same time she is branding herself as a religious homebody?
It just feels like her friends are trying to oversell the faith and religious angle, and I don’t understand why. I don’t really care what your religion is, whether you believe in God or not, etc. I will judge you on your actions and how you live your life.
I totally agree. I like Meghan but I’m starting to feel like interviewing some of her inner circle was doing way too much.
The only thing I can imagine is that they’re looking at it from a really American standpoint. I don’t assume a celebrity is religious unless I hear them mention it themselves. I don’t make the assumption. But there’s such a weird obsession in the US with religion (obviously not everyone) where you have politicians using it as part of their campaigns, you have celebrities supporting mega churches … there’s just such a weird almost cult like following and it’s just so PRESENT. Like, I know there’s plenty of religious people in Canada… I know some politicians use it to their advantage, but it’s never felt as front and center here. There seems to still be such a mindset that religious = good moral compass and I find it so insulting.
I have no problem with Meghan having faith … it’s just something I don’t personally share. But I feel like this was probably a misstep from the friends or her PR team, or whoever, and it’s a shame. I agree with the person who said this up thread – the smarter thing would be to get seen going to church. Going the more subtle route is the best option a lot of the time.
The first white settlers in the US were various religious groups fleeing persecution in Europe, so religion is deeply engrained in the culture.
No, the first white settlers where fortune hunters that founded Jamestown
I live in the Bible Belt, Deep South, where people are supposedly very religious. It’s not really that much different than the secular and liberal place I moved from. You see a few yard signs that have Bible verses, and the churches are pretty packed on Sunday, but otherwise nobody really talks about it much, at least not to people that aren’t also religious/attend church with. So I don’t know where this religious America is.
I’d say it’s wherever there are religious ideas that are dictating how everyone has to live, really. I know that the average person isn’t out there quoting the bible daily and things like that – but when politicians are expected to be religious (by a lot of people anyway) and freedoms of others are undermined by the excuse of religion such as the incredibly strict abortion legislation… and when a 30 year old man can knock up a child and it be ‘okay’ legally as long as they marry them (like in certain states) – that’s the kind of weird religious obsession I’m talking about. The amount of musicians and actors that are out there thanking God for their accomplishments and things like that. I’m not saying that other places don’t have similar behaviors or laws – but it seems to be a lot more present and in the forefront in America than it is in a lot of other places. It’s featured in so many movies, tv shows, etc. It’s just super ingrained into society.
There is a puritanical streak in the US that doesn’t exist in other western countries. Some of the same groups of people went to Canada as the US, except for puritans and it infused their national mythos in a way it never did in Canada. Quebec was very catholic until the quiet revolution and religion was more involved in politics there but it was never as obvious in the Anglo provinces and especially since the 60s when secularism took over. The original progressive conservatives like Mulroney didn’t link their religion to politics although the reform party which took over much of the current conservatives and so there are evangelicals peaking through and trying to revive the abortion issue here, but it’s not working because most Canadians aren’t evangelical. The Christians here are more united church or Anglican if they aren’t catholic (and Catholics here are more liberal than in the US) and less showy about religion. Whereas saying god bless America is viewed as normal by all American politicians saying god bless Canada is not as accepted and it goes against the multicultural aspect of the country.
That said I think religious and spiritual are being interchanged here and probably not accurately.
I think that the reason her friends spoke out I’m going to called it church gate is because the media was so focused on making Meghan seem like a woman who was being disrespectful toward the church. And demanding air spray when in fact that could be farther for the truth the royal reporters repeated this story as fact when in reality didn’t happen so many took what the palace source stories as true and run with this narrative of Meghan as this demending woman screaming at people about the smell of the church . Let’s face it the British media has made Meghan out to be this villain who out to destroy the crown stories like this combat some of the most outrageous stories that have been reported as truth about Meghan . I don’t think this story is making her out to be a saint but a woman who is religious and takes her relationship with the church seriously.
The outrage was more about the building that is good enough for the Queen. Less about the spiritual side or being disrespectful towards the church as an institution.
The faux outrage. The original story wasn’t about random Glade air fresheners being used to cover something up, because they weren’t used. That was what people grabbed on to, ran with, and ranted about.
It was the idea of a trendy scented wedding using candles and such. Like William and Kate had BTW. But again, faux outrage over Harry and Meghan but crickets about William and Kate having a scented wedding at Westminster years ago.
I thought that was kind of ridiculous. I’m not really a Meghan fan (I don’t hate her either, just am kind of ambivalent), but she’s from California. I doubt any buildings there are older than maybe, MAYBE, just under 200 years. Old buildings have a smell. I like it, but others may not, especially if they aren’t used to it. It seems, if it was true, just a preference thing. How would she have known that it was rude to ask for air fresheners? If she even asked in the first place. It’s so dumb!
Also California is so dry and the UK is so damp, so I’m sure any old buildings in CA wouldn’t smell musty or old like they would in a more damp environment. I don’t think she meant any harm at all. If it happened at all.
Kate had scented candles in the Church and so did Meghan.
The air-freshener story is old news. And even the “feud” with Kate feels the same, above all after the Christmas pap stroll. There’re countless of stories about royals that are simply forgotten after a few weeks. Aside from the “bananagate”,which wasn’t the best idea from her part.. and everyone could have predicted the mocking and the criticism,she’s not currently getting bad press like the stories about her staff,that were the most damaging. The mariJuana wedding bags is also old news. I understand the need to spin the narrative,but with the People pieces she’s just drawing attention again to old stories and,what is worse ,she’s bringing up again her family in the news when they were quiet.
This last piece also feels like the most blatant PR leak ever.. And what does even mean that “we can still be modern women and feel all the feels with feminism” ??
The religious angle isn’t necessarily new though. Meghan was raised going to church with Doria. The church was the connection to Oprah. Her first boyfriend said they met at a church camp. It’s probably being oversold here, but it is also not like she has ever declared herself an atheist previously.
Who is the intended audience for this article. While the cooking food and caring for friends is something pretty normal for Europe (and as far as I know Britain as well), the whole close relationship to god, meditation and spirituality sounds very American and not in a good way. Over here, if you are religious you go to church, but otherwise keep it to yourself.
The excessive religion and spirituality is one of the things a lot of Europeans find so weird and obnoxious about Americans. It is one of the topics you simply do not talk about in society, at least not more than the nice decoration in church at Christmas.
My opinion is that this is a way for the Sussexes to tell the British press that they will block them and give exclusives to American media. A lot of the royal reporters are upset on Twitter about this story. This People story is the usual fluff piece we read about all public figures.
That’s what I was thinking. The US is more openly religious than the UK and if anything, would this actually be off-putting to UK readers?
I thought the goal of Christianity was to spread the word of Jesus, not keep it to yourself? That’s what the Bible says to do. That’s what my deeply religious mother-in-law always told me. How does not talking about their religion do that? Or is it a different kind of Christianity across the pond?
I would say that a signficant number of the people who call themselves Christians in the US don’t love their neighbours as themselves or look out for the poor, which are also demanded by the Bible. People have been ignoring bits of the Bible for as long as there has been a Bible.
Christianity here in the UK is kept to oneself for one reason or another. Unfortunately this isn’t going to go down well as it’s from an American perspective, the main people here that talk that way are the Evangelicals and people look at them as a bit freaky, note the comment down thread about the church ‘Hillsong’. I’m catholic (lapsed) but don’t speak about it amongst friends, I know a lot of people that believe in something but aren’t sure what plus there seems to be a lot more atheists now. Although people say this is a Christian country it really isn’t anymore. I don’t think this is going to do Meghan any favours at all.
Evangelicals actively try to convert others whereas other Christians don’t. The in your face attitude also fits with how Americans are viewed generally, which is embodied in the worst way by your current president. I’m not sure how this religious angle will play out in the UK either, but these are her friends talking and not her so maybe they just want to make sure people don’t think she is a heathen.
It’s not a different kind of Christianity across the pond. I hate to be a Debbie downer, but if people looked at the way Christianity (including the Anglican church) has been used to further British imperialism around the world, people wouldn’t be so quick to think that the British are either quiet about their faith, sorry. I feel like that type of attitude is an incredibly recent thing on their part, and it’s typically based on ignoring the fact that one of the longest low-level conflicts in British history (the Troubles in Northern Ireland) is a religious one.
@A: honestly, this is vastly misguided. First, you’re wrong about the vast majority of British people, who are either incredibly secular or very private about their faith (and very few people living now were alive when British imperialism was being “furthered”), and second, Northern Ireland is very much its own thing, and what people are saying here applies to England, Scotland and Wales and not NI.
Yeah, this “extremely faithful” approach is a bad idea from a British perspective.
This is not going to end well.
Can it please just end though?
This feels like it has turned this situation into a pissing contest. I feel like this wasn’t the best idea, as it is probably baiting the press to hit back at her (even more than before). Remember when Harry put out the statement to the press when they were dating? That didn’t fix or improve the situation, it actually made it worse.
Just because the British press will fight back that doesn’t mean Meghan and Harry should sit back and take some of crap that being spewed about her. There are three sides to every stories and for so long the stories being presented was the side of Meghan father and the British press no one was speaking out for Meghan her side her truth wasn’t know now we have the whole stories with facts that wasn’t known . That why her friends are speaking out to get her side of the stories out Harry and Meghan should have done this a long time ago because unfortunately the narrative that British press and her father had told been as factual. When in reality it’s not
Ha. all I could think was of people moaning that HARRY GAVE UP SMOKING. Meghan freakin’ converted, people.
This is a very odd story to put out there if the goal is improving her image in the UK.
Talking about your ‘very close relationship with God’ is weird in the UK, even amongst very religious people. The only people I know who would ever talk like that outside of church/prayer groups belong to creepy, culty Christian churches in the vein of Hillsong. The vast majority of Brits would be quite wary of anyone using this kind of rhetoric. It’s full blown recruiter talk, not normal conversation here.
Also, ‘extremely faithful’ people don’t live with their partners before marriage. If you’re going to make a fuss of how extremely faithful you are in the UK, you better at least live like you actually mean it. Making people listen to you go on about your faith when you don’t actually live your life according to your Church really doesn’t go down well. Casual Christianity is the norm, but making a fuss of it really, really isn’t.
I hear you JinnyBye. Meanwhile, these so-called Christians harp on about the sins of Duchess Meghan – yet, refuse to follow the teachings in the Bible which instructs us to love others including our neighbors and people of different races. In my humble opinion, they need to pull those planks out of their eyes and deal with their own shortcomings instead of worrying and judging the actions of Duchess Meghan.
Be careful, it’s true that there’s no zealot like a convert, but not every convert – or religious person – is a zealot. Meghan’s no zealot either.
I agree with that I like Meghan but definitely not to a worship degree lol. Like the banana thing, I don’t think was smart mainly because it begs to be scrutinized and taken out of context which again it was. This faith issue, who knows… she may be leaning on her faith because of all the bullying, but I agree that building this up too high because UK media is dying to tear her down. Stick to the facts and basics and she’s not changed is probably enough. Thing I will say, People Mag is much more reliable and trusted for being accurate than anything from DM or Sun, so Markles quotes in most people’s minds outside fanatics clears up major misinformation.
The people who like Meghan will continue to like Meghan. The people who dislike Meghan will continue to dislike Meghan. Nobody’s mind will change much because of tabloid stories. Most people don’t care at all about the royal family. Royal watching is a niche segment of society that people follow for fashion, gossip, weddings, and baby photos.
That is such a Chris Pratt headline!
If she really OKed that stuff than she has just some points in my book.
I think this article might be addressing her taking on religions for her husbands – Didn’t she convert to Judaism and then to Harry’s form of Christianity? I mean yeah I’m sure she might have her own profound belief set but I can see how people would wonder…
That’s the weak point of this PR approach. IMO it’s not a good idea to focus on her faith as it seems quite flexible.
What’s interesting is that Kate Middleton – who was nominally raised in the Church of England – had not been confirmed by the time of her wedding and had to quietly do that. (I think she needed to be confirmed in the CoE to marry an heir to the throne.) No big deal. And nobody seemed to care in the UK about this. So yeah I think Team Meghan may be overthinking this. Whatever.
I would be genuinely interested in hearing about her faith and her relationship to both the arch bishop and to her church. It would have to come from her, though, and that might be a weird area for a royal. Maybe some day.
I think her friends are well intentioned. Whether this changes minds is completely up in the air.
This is getting to be a lot of coverage. Instead of friends talking to the press, just keep making appearances. Her family has behaved so poorly in the press and this responds to them at that level.
Wow this People article is a lot.
I feel sad that M already has to go to these lengths to address things, she has not even been married one year. She is in for a long road and if Jessica Mulroney et al going to have to give extensive anonymous quotes to People for every PR bump in the road…. Not good.
Having trouble with the analogy here.
Faithful : air freshener::
Yeah, I got nothing.
I also know you don’t have to be religious to have empathy, and you don’t have to be empathetic to be religious, but as a history teacher teaching world religions who is also a Christian, the two do go hand in hand, or should with the various doctrines.
I feel sorry for Meghan esp with her horrible family. I do think this People magazine stuff might be a mistake though, and this latest religious bit is way too much.
I have to wonder, as others have done above, who is this for? If it’s for people in the UK this is a big misstep. The People magazine quotes from friends about how great she is – I don’t think there’s anything that wrong with what they said and I can see the reasoning behind it but people here are bound to find it cringey and unnecessary, a bit unappealing in this seeming need to be liked (please don’t come after me, I agree the tabloids – not general press, the tabloids – have been awful to her so I understand why she’d want to put something positive out there, but I believe it’s a misstep).
The religious thing is way overdoing it. People here in general don’t care how religious you are or are not. People don’t care if politicians are religious either, it’s not at all like the US. So I have to wonder again, who is this for??
This kind of thing makes me like her less, not more. I have an aversion to people who claim that they’re so close to God like that because how do they know? Did they ask Him and He answered directly? Because I pray often and have never heard Him say anything directly to me.
On another note – is she dying her hair blue on top? The header photo makes it look like she has blue dye on top of the black. I know that there are dye products which will let a person dye their hair blue-black, but I thought that the blue in it would be a consistent highlight – not just on the top like that. I just hope that she’s using natural stuff without chemicals, since she’s pregnant. (I say this to every pregnant woman.)
@ Jag
When you’re being battered from every angle like she has for the last 3-4 months, and your only recourse has been silence…..I can absolutely see how easy it would be to miscalculate if/when you did decide to engage.
I think it’s about time they involved IPSO because it’s clear that many lines have been crossed that never should have been. I heard Piers Morgan claim Diana had it worse, and so…..
Really?! Is that the mark of reasonableness? Does Meghan have to have it worse than Diana (Who got killed by the press’ greed and utter mercilessness) for people to realise the amount of extraordinary pressure they’re hitting her with?
Left to me, I think it’s time to unleash an equally merciless, bad ass, monster legal team on the press. Also time to start hitting below the belt of the evil father and sister
– call the tax man on them
– have a constant bank of stories on standby, ready to be released immediately to the press every time they come out with one of their stupid, malicious stories. In my opinion, this 5-friends-defence strategy should have come out on the day of/after dad/Sam’s next attack. Kill their story with your own.
Raised Catholic . been a Pagan for 3 decades. For me my religion is a private matter. Never understood people who have to proclaim their love and relationship with whatever god they worship. Who are you trying to convince.
Oh well that is my opinion.
I really don’t understand the hate against Meghan, where do all those gossipy stories come from? Is it all simple invention of people who can’t imagine two women in positions of power able to be friends, or at least civil to each other? Or do Kate and her really have it for each other? I just don’t understand! Meghan seems nice enough and has handled herself with a lot of grace so far, despite the constant ridiculous bashing. She obviously has a better grip on things than Diana did, and it must help she has the support of her husband (unlike Diana) but did the press not learn anything after Di? It’s really maddening.
The press in Britain is just a different animal entirely.
I know this is gonna sound out of left field, but I was reading up on Hugh Grant and his work on the Leveson inquiry, and he was talking in an interview about how even the highest politicians in the country are frightened of the tabloids. They set the tone for every conversation, whether they are truthful or not. They make or break politicians and political careers. It’s not so much that the press didn’t learn anything after Di. It’s that they simply don’t care. They don’t see these people as human, they see them as stories and narratives to build and tear down as they see fit. They’ll tell you that this is what the people want to hear, but even that is questionable if you ask me.
This is why Meghan’s strategy is a sound one. There is no winning for her with the British media. She’s getting the US media on side, which is a powerful force. She’s going at this in exactly the right way.
Now I have flashbacks of that slimy reporter from the Daily Mail gushing about destroying Amanda Knox during her super shady trial in Italy.
@A says, …Well said and true. This is why the Middleton’s very cleverly have got the Daily Mail in its pocket.
I have no problem with her PR rebuttals.
Each and every point should be rebutted. So fight fire with water. Oh she is a demanding witch who makes duchesses cry? Actually we know for a fact she loves Jesus and bakes banana bread from scratch. What else you got.
Bam.
Yes it seemed way over the top compared to the other articles about the pain of her Dad’s betrayal or her domestic homebody nature.
Definitely better to not give any more oxygen to old stories like air freshener-gate. Have timely anonymous counter narrative stories (if at all) seems better rather then a big dump all at once months later.
I like Meghan, and think her heart is in the right place- but I feel like she is somewhat superficial, and sometimes that leads her astray. What I mean by that is she really doesn’t see a conflict between living privilege up to the max with super expensive clothes in a bad economy while also protesting that she makes avocado toast at home and is therefore ‘just like us’. After all, her goal at these events, is to empower and uplift people so what does it matter if she wears ritzy clothes?
I’m not sure she sees the context beyond her good intentions- the backdrop of inequality and elitism she as a royal is now part of. Signaling she gets that by making less expensive fashion choices, recycling pieces, etc would be helpful. Showing her faith not telling (via anonymous friend sources) would be less of a humble-brag.
She’s in a really tough spot with the bullying media and having friends speak for her is better then not responding at all in my opinion. But they shouldn’t over-state her virtuosity, just make her seem like a relatable human with her heart in the right place.
There is a British saying that you shouldn’t ‘over egg the pudding’ . The first couple of excerpts quoted were fine but I think the pudding’s overdone now.
I…don’t actually have a problem with this. At least not as much of a problem as I thought I would have, just reading the title. I was expecting it to be super cringeworthy and sugary sweet towards Meghan, but what’s said here actually sounds rather in character for her? The whole “we meditate a lot together” and “we can be feminist women and still be religious” etc, are all things I’ve heard from her specific cohort of women ie upper middle-class well-educated women from California. And the article points out that she’s rather spiritual, which again, is just very emblematic of the way women like her would approach religion in this day and age.
So I don’t think that this article is in fact written to make her appeal to the whole snippy older crowd of white British women if you ask me. It’s more designed to appeal to the younger, more modern crowd of religious folks who don’t like Hillsong and America’s weird brand of evangelical Christianity. I would bet you anything that Meghan is also totally into stuff like astrology, like SUPER in depth and stuff (she probably knows wtf a rising sign is and all that), but also in that affirmative, positive way that sounds like it’s a refinery29 article, haha.
Also, the fact that this was published in an American publication is also why the tone is the way it is. There’s no way the Sun or the Fail would have published this without a heavy dose of snobbery. The way religion appeals to people in Britain and the way it appeals to people in America is different. I won’t say that the British don’t get emotional about their faith, but I think they express that emotion entirely differently, that’s all.
Yeah, no. The number of younger, modern religious folks (who are Christian) in the UK are numbered in the hundreds. It’s not at all a significant population here.
You can’t be both very religious and change your religion every time you meet a new guy.
#PRFail
Are you basing Meghan changing her religion on rumor or fact? From what has been reported, she was raised as a Protestant and didn’t convert to Catholicism when she attended Immaculate Heart High School. There were rumors about her converting to Judaism when she was married to Trevor Engelson; however, I haven’t seen any evidence substantiating this rumor. She converted to another branch of Christianity in the months leading up to her wedding. What is so wrong about that?
Ugh hate these quotes! She isn’t going to win over Brits with her claims of religious fervour…
Seems really out of touch, I’m beginning to see a pattern here with banana gate, the expensive clothes etc. she should have just carried on the way she was with dignified silence these kind of comments will just add fuel to the fire.
If people really care to stop the toxic Markles, they need to refrain from interacting with Samantha on Twitter and clicking links to these toxic tabloid interviews. All the tabloids care about is making money (ads). The so called #sussexsquad is actually making the situation worse by continuing the dialogue and making the Markles relevant. Just my opinion, but if people want to help, they must ignore anything coming from the “family.”