During an interview to promote the second series of her lifestyle show, the Duchess of Sussex has spoken out on claims that her programme glorifies traditional gender roles and the negative reviews of the first season
Meghan Markle has hit back at claims that her lifestyle series on Netflix glorifies the ‘trad wife’ label. The second season of With Love, Meghan premiered today on the streaming giant, as the Duchess of Sussex spoke candidly on The Circuit podcast with Emily Chang about the mixed reviews she received after season one.
Emily quizzed Meghan on the critique that her lifestyle show, which sees the Duchess share cooking, crafting, and hosting tips with a range of pals and experts, is contributing to the ‘trad wife’ trend, which consists of women adhering to traditional gender roles in relationships, such as cooking and cleaning. It comes after Meghan Markle reveals who really said ‘I love you’ first when she started dating Harry.
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The podcast host told the Duchess: “There’s this take that you’re glorifying homemaking or glorifying trad wives,” to which Meghan responded: “Really? That feels odd to me. I hadn’t heard that.”
She continued: “But I am really unapologetic about the fact that… would it be lovely to go and churn your own butter? Sure, maybe, but I don’t have time for that. And I don’t think you get an extra gold star if you do that.
“So for me, it’s more about how you show up thoughtfully. I don’t have time to make dinner every night, I wish I did, but I’m great at ordering takeout and plating it beautifully.
“I have absolutely no judgement on trad wives, if it works for them then they should do it. But for me I feel like there is an in between, and joy for me comes from finding that sweet spot in the middle.”
The term ‘trad wife’ has recently been popularised on social media, and refers to a woman who believes in and practices traditional gender roles and marriages. Some may choose to take a homemaking role within their marriage, and others leave their careers to focus on meeting their family’s needs in the home.
After the first season of With Love, Meghan aired earlier this year, the show was met with mixed reviews, with many critics claiming the programme had delved into ‘trad wife’ territory.
At the time, Meghan dismissed the claims and simply said that the show was aimed at “redefining womanhood”, and said With Love, Meghan was a chance to showcase her love of cooking and hosting, while also capturing the joy that can be had in the kitchen.
Podcast host Emily asked Meghan about the divisive reviews of season one of the show, and how the hate comments landed, to which Meghan said: “I think I know who I was trying to meet, so if you know your audience and you know your demographic, well they love the show, and my partners love the show and that’s why we have a season two.”
“So I often think of the negative voices, are they saying negative things and then secretly going home and making my single skillet spaghetti? Maybe they are. So from my standpoint, the intention of the show was to show more of myself, to share tips that I love in my life, and to have fun.”
Among the celebrity guests on the second series of the show are US model and T V personality Chrissy Teigen and Queer Eye star Tan France, as well as podcaster Jay Shetty and his cookbook author wife Radhi Devlukia. While chefs joining Meghan include Clare Smyth, who runs Core, a three-Michelin star restaurant in London, and Jose Andres, who set up the World Central Kitchen.