My Honest Review of ‘With Love, Meghan’
In all honesty: I’m generally a fan of Meghan Markle.
I think the years-long tabloid fodder and blatant racism she’s received from both the U.K. and American press is (sadly) not astonishing…I mean, a Black (albeit, light-skinned biracial) woman entering the throes of a white, European monarchy was bound to ruffle feathers. Not saying it’s deserved, but we all should have seen this coming. While her late Mother-in-Law (Princess Diana) also experienced some of the same media scrutiny and public mental health struggles, you can’t discount the obvious differences that Meghan’s Black identity and American upbringing resulted additional negative press coverage.
People forget that prior to marrying Prince Harry, Meghan was a moderately successful actress, with an equally successful online wellness blog/brand called The Tig. While I didn’t personally know of or read it prior to her intense rise to overnight celebrity status, I’ve heard it from many that the topics written about were actually quite useful. (Topics such as food, cooking, gardening, fashion, lifestyle, etc).
With all that background knowledge on Meghan’s passions and interests, it comes as no surprise to me that her most recent business venture would be a Netflix series akin to a Martha Stewart Living brand. The IMDb description of her show states “Markle shares personal tips and tricks, embracing playfulness over perfection, highlighting how to create beauty in unexpected ways.” Probably the most innocent and seemingly pleasurable watch you can currently find on any streaming service, yet her average 3/10 stars and scathing reviews say otherwise. So what gives? I have some thoughts:
Markle’s cringe-worthy comment about her last name to Mindy Kaling. One of the most talked about clips from the series came in Episode 2 where Meghan awkwardly corrected Mindy when she off-handedly stated “I don’t think anyone in the world knows that Meghan Markle has eaten Jack in the Box and loves it." Meghan responded in a not so flattering way "It’s so funny, too, that you keep saying Meghan Markle. You know I’m Sussex now,” and explained why it’s important to her to share the same last name as her husband and children. Which - fine, in theory. But even as a Meghan Markle fan, I metaphorically slapped my hand to my forehand like “come ON!” It basically dismisses the entire media scandal of Meghan and Harry separating from their royal titles, which people were quick to point out. It also just felt icky as I was watching, because if Mindy is truly a close friend, what was the intention of correcting her at that very moment? I mean - the literal description of her show uses the last name Markle - lol. So Idk, kind of hard to defend this one.
Meghan’s constant struggle of relatability to the public. While I previously compared With Love, Meghan to Martha Stewart Living, the key difference is that Martha Stewart never once claimed she was “relatable.” She unabashedly showed viewers how she liked to garden, cook, and entertain, and unapologetically was herself (whether you related to her standards or not). Meghan, however, always seems to have “pick me” energy constantly competing with what seems to be her unawareness of certain privileges. Her comments around choosing healthy foods, gardening, even crafting, completely negate that a majority of Americans do not in fact, have expendable time, energy or income to do said activities. I’m sure many families would love the opportunity to grow food from their garden, raise chickens or other animals, have a beehive for honey…..and in this economy, I also know personally that the amount of money production probably spent on her recommended supplies for “hosting a fun afternoon tea with friends ” was not cheap.
The content feels very perfection-based and unrealistic, in my opinion. Going off of point 2, I had to giggle at the “without perfection” part of the IMDb description - because her actions in the kitchen often contradicted this. Whether she was observed to (what I thought to be) painstakingly arranging a Crudite plate (never calling it a vegetable tray), or diligently spreading icing/berries on a cake, to helping her guests with their food or activity…it all was giving such Virgo energy I had to laugh out loud (**My astrology loving self does have to mention that her Sun sign is actually Leo, but never mind that tiny detail). The show is also obviously staged - the studio being depicted as her home, where she claims the produce growing in “her garden” without every being addressed this is not in fact her real life. Many of the guest interactions sometimes felt forced; and let’s not forget her only wearing white/cream colors in the kitchen?! That’s definitely not real life (and personally not recommended)! All in all, was definitely giving pretentious vibes.
While the first season was generally a light entertainment watch, my biggest hope for Season 2 is that Meghan will be more vulnerable with her audience. I’m sure she has plenty of hesitations given the amount of backlash she’s received for any business venture or public move, but it’s worth a shot, (given she will receive all types of feedback regardless of the content produced).
Even in all my constructive criticisms, I will absolutely be taking away a few party ideas or crafts she shared when time/money is able. I’m particularly interested in the homemade beeswax candle with essential oils, fun edible flower ice cubes, baked buttermilk donuts, and lavender spa towels (to name a few). Because in a world where it is so easy to “love to hate” something a powerful, confident woman creates, it’s probably best to just lean in with love.