Meghan Markle and tennis legend Serena Williams spoke about the “double standards” women face in the first episode of Meghan’s podcast, Archetype.
The pair discussed the negativity that women are subject to when they’re labeled as “ambitious.”
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Meghan and Harry seem to have been the pillars of scrutiny against the Royal Family since stepping down from their positions last January.
Meghan and Harry said they wanted a more private life for their children, and moved to Los Angeles to live a more normal life out of the media eye.
However, many feel like the couple has truly slandered the Royal Family.
And that Harry’s relationships with his brother, father and grandparents is “hanging by a thread.”
Although, through the rifts, there were reports that the Royal Family were “delighted” by the news of the couple’s second child, Lilibet’s birth.
Despite Harry’s continuous blasting of them across all media platforms.
Harry’s relationship with his family remains strained.
With Charles apparently refusing his calls on the lead up to the announcement in 2020. Harry also said he was financially cut off from his father after they stepped down and at first they were forced to live off Diana’s inheritance.
Asked by Oprah Winfrey during their televised interview about why they left, Harry blamed a “lack of support and lack of understanding.”
He also said he wanted to get away from the ‘genetic pain’ he felt from his family, especially his father, Prince Charles.
“I feel really let down because he’s been through something similar, he knows what pain feels like, (and) Archie’s his grandson.”
“But at the same time – I will always love him – but there’s a lot of hurt that’s happened and I will continue to make it one of my priorities to try and heal that relationship. But they only know what they know, or what they’re told.”
Then, of course, following Lilibet’s birth came the controversy surrounding her name…
With one royal biographer, Angela Levin, deeming it as ‘rude.’
As we know, their baby girl was named Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor.
Paying tribute to Harry’s late mother Diana, Princess of Wales, who died in 1997, when Harry was just twelve.
The name Lilibet is also a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II herself.
A family pet name, the Queen bestowed it on herself as a child as she couldn’t pronounce the name Elizabeth. The name was particularly used by the Queen’s late husband Prince Philip. It was also used by her doting father, King George VI.
But, despite the tribute, people still weren’t happy with some even accusing that, by using the Queen’s private pet name as a first name, Harry had broken royal protocol.
Harry was heavily criticized for taking such a private, intimate pet name and giving it to his child, after what some are calling an ‘onslaught of abuse’ against his grandmother and The Firm.
Royal commentator, Richard Kay, suggested that it may be a step too far for Meghan and Harry to name their daughter Lilibet.
Writing in a column for the Daily Mail, he said: “By giving the baby the name Lilibet, the Queen’s private family nickname – even though they intend to use the diminutive ‘Lili’ for their daughter – there is a risk.”
“Will it be seen as a presumptuous choice for a royal baby who is eighth in line to the throne, but who will grow up on the other side of the world speaking with an American accent?”
“It is tempting to wonder if Harry would have been so emboldened in his choice if his grandfather Prince Philip – the only close family member permitted to call the Queen ‘Lilibet’ – had still been alive.”
“Doubtless, there will be among the more cautious courtiers at the Palace some discomfort and the odd raised eyebrow at this latest convention-destroying Exocet from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.”
There was a mixed response to the name, with some believing that the couple were pandering to the Queen for forgiveness, whilst others thought that it was a touching tribute.
Following that, Meghan revealed in a short clip that she was asking forty friends to donate forty minutes to help mentor a woman back into work.
In a message on their Archewell website with the clip, Meghan also wrote: “In reflecting on my 40th birthday and the many things I am grateful for, I’m struck that time is among our greatest and most essential gifts.”
“Time with our loved ones, time doing the things we love, time spent learning, laughing, growing, and the sacred time we have on this earth. Amongst the most valuable gifts of time is also time spent in service to others knowing that it can contribute to incredible change.”
“To that last point, and with my 40th lap around the sun in mind, it made me wonder: what would happen if we all committed 40 minutes to helping someone else or to mentoring someone in need? And then what would happen if we asked our friends to do the same?”
“In the past two years, and in large part because of the COVID-19 pandemic, tens of millions of women around the world have left the workforce, including over 2 million women in the US.”
“So many of these women are also shouldering the brunt of the crisis when it comes to unpaid labor, including schooling and caring for family members. And the latest research shows that fewer women than men will regain work as we recover from the pandemic.”
“I believe mentorship is one way to help women regain confidence and rebuild their economic strength, and for my birthday, I have asked 40 friends, activists, athletes, artists, and world leaders to help kickoff a global effort by contributing 40 minutes of mentorship to support women re-entering the workforce.”
“With this time, I hope they each help someone advance a professional life on her own terms, and, I hope that they inspire countless others to give 40 minutes of their time as well.
“If you are able, please join us and pledge 40 minutes today in service of others in the way that feels right to you. The time that you donate can contribute to a global wave of service and set in motion meaningful impact in our own communities, and across the world.”
And not long after, the pair sparked opinions from people once again…
When the couple released their 2021 Christmas card which features the first public photo of their daughter, Lilibet.
The then-6-month-old is featured alongside the couple and her big brother, Archie and as you can imagine, many people were swooning over how adorable it is.
However, there are some people that had an issue with it as they “felt sorry” for Archie…
“Poor Archie completely ignored and they wasn’t significant enough to make them a family,” one person said.
“To be honest, that’s a little insulting to poor Archie. Sort of like until Lili came along he didn’t really matter. The photo is also all about Lili, no one is paying him any attention. Hope that’s not reflection of reality!” said another.
People have been left “feeling sorry” for Archie as they claim he looked “sad” and was being left out.
What do you think? We think the picture is adorable!
Now, though, it’s Will and Kate bagging the backlash.
The pair sent a message to Meghan Markle over social media that’s got everyone talking.
Well, Will and Kate wished Meghan a Happy Birthday…
Yes, that’s right… People are furious about it as they claim that Meghan doesn’t deserve a Happy Birthday from the Cambridges.
In other news, Meghan has used the first episode of her brand new podcast to take a swipe at the Royal Family.
During the episode, she claimed that she was forced to continue with her engagements on a tour of South Africa despite being left in tears when her son Archie narrowly escaped a fire in his bedroom.
And now Meghan has dropped the first episode of her new podcast.
The description of the episode, titled The Misconception of Ambition, read: “Meghan talks to the one and only Serena Williams about the double standard women face when they are labeled ‘ambitious’ and the ripple effects this has on other aspects of their lives.”
Meghan started her podcast by talking about the word ambition.
And how it affected her negatively.
“And um, apparently ambition is, uh… a terrible, terrible thing, for a woman that is – according to some.
“So, since I’ve felt the negativity behind it, it’s really hard to un-feel it,” she said, as per the Daily Mail.
“I can’t unsee it, either, in the millions of girls and women who make themselves smaller – so much smaller – on a regular basis,” she added.
Further adding to the topic, Meghan spoke to tennis legend Serena Williams, who is one of her close friends, about the double standards women face when they are labeled “ambitious.”
Opening up her podcast, Meghan said she wanted to talk to somebody who “embodies the spirit of ambition.”
Serena, who announced she will be taking stepping down from tennis, was the first guest and both she and Meghan spoke about the “ambition” and “double standards” they both faced.
Meghan complained about the misconception “that if you’re an ambitious woman you have an agenda, you must be calculating or selfish or aggressive, or a climber.”
And she said that “the notion of ambition comes with many judgments and nuances — especially for women.”
“Now, look, I’m not Catholic. I wasn’t raised Catholic.
“But about one year after my letter-writing campaign, I started middle school at Immaculate Heart (in Los Angeles). I stayed there, through high school. I was there for six years. And this feminist ideology trickled down into nearly every aspect of my education,” she said.
“It’s probably safe to say into every aspect of my life. This message to me and my classmates was clear: our futures as young women were limitless. Ambition. Well, that was the whole point.
“So I don’t ever remember personally feeling the negative connotation behind the word ambitious until I started dating my now husband,” Meghan said.
In the fifty-seven-minute episode, the 2 women discussed the double standards associated with the word “ambition.”
“Often women are definitely put in these different boxes when we are ambitious, or when we do have goals or when we reach our goals, it’s a negative connotation on how we reach the goals,” Serena said.
She also spoke about the double standard she had experienced throughout her career.
Specifically, Serena referred to how her balls kept being called out, even though it was far away from the line.
Meghan responded, telling listeners that Serena was referring to the quarterfinal games in Australia in 2004 against Jennifer Capriati.
“In that match, I had this fear of hitting because every time I hit a ball, they
would call it out no matter how close it was or how far it was. And it became impossible to play because it was like they just kept calling the balls out,” Serena said.
As a result, it struck fear into Serena playing other games due to the unfair treatment she had previously received.
“So that was one of the first things that happened, and there was a plethora of things that happened after that,” she said on the podcast.
“But eventually, I remember playing in Australia years, years later, and I just didn’t have the Serena in me because I was afraid.
“I was afraid to be Serena because of all the experiences that I’ve had, and I ended up losing a match because I was afraid to challenge or to be myself,” Serena admitted.
What do you think about the first episode of the podcast?