Is Meghan, Duchess of Sussex really a feminist?

[polkadotdalmation]

I'm asking here because this is the feminist section and it's nothing to do with her title or husbands royalty.
She accepted a feminism award from a feminist icon (Gloria steinberg) for her feminist work.

I'm not interested in her stand against racism or any of her other projects, and don't want to muddy the waters with these questions.

So is she a feminist icon?

She used the fact that another woman has children by different fathers as a tool to discredit that woman. She's no feminist.

She said she was a feminist and spoke about women's rights, which was more than other royals had done. Hers is probably not Mumsnet-approved feminism but she's worked on several projects that support women, like @Spottymushroom says.

But OP has no real interest in feminism as she's utterly obsessed with Harry and Meghan and is constantly starting threads about them. Perhaps it might be time to take a break and reflect on why she's consumed with hatred for people she's never even met.

Exactly this! With all the genuinely awful things people in the public eye are saying/doing to work against women why are people intent on tearing down this particular woman?

I mean…. as feminists can we perhaps care a bit more about childcare costs, gender pay gap and the misogyny in the met and a bit less about using this woman for target practise??

She is to me.

I'd be amazed if she'd be deemed so on MN tho. In favour of criticism as opposed to looking at what she's done and spoken up about. She doesn't have to fit any brand of feminism anyway so each to their own.

Any form of feminism that bitches about women, particularly WoC yet denying the bias, doesn't interest me. It's like listening to a bunch of sexist men, which I'd never bother to do.

I haven't a clue; I have never met her.

‘Being a feminist’ is not the same as ‘never having done anything unfeminist.’
Do you apply the same standard to everyone, including yourself?

I am gender critical but that is a ridiculous post.
If someone thought TWAW and then spent all their time promoting TW at the expense of women that would be one thing but that is not what Meghan does.

This.

I'd say that she is a successful woman in financial terms and in terms of fame.
This is mainly due to marrying into a highly patriarchal institution.

A poor role model though.

I think Meghan is extremely keen to portray herself as a feminist, kind, empathetic, generous, humanitarian, a good friend, pet owner, wife, mother and daughter. I'm unconvinced any of it is remotely genuine.

I think she is ambitious and ruthless and has gained personal power and influence during her life as a woman. Perhaps this is enough to be considered a feminist.

It is utterly illogical to divorce the label of "feminist" from someone's substantive action.

That would be like describing someone who has never been near a horse as a horserider.

In the same way I also wouldn't describe someone who is campaigning against abortion rights as a feminist. Would you see that person as a feminist who just happens to be doing an unfeminist thing?

Well she has mounted the horse of feminism at regular intervals starting with when she was at school so the fact she went for a ride on a camel once is irrelevant.

Sometimes upholds feminist principles, but also prone to upholding the patriarchy when the mood takes or when it is otherwise convenient.

Feminist or opportunist?

Love the camel thing!

I have no idea what the judgey thing she did re a woman with more than one parenting partner was. Doesn’t sound great but, very different to a campaign against abortion rights

I think icon is a pretty big word to ascribe to anyone. I'm sure she is a feminist but personally I wouldn't call her iconic, she seems to have lots of people thay really love her though so maybe to them she is. It's all subjective really isn't it.

All women capitulate to the patriarchy at some point to survive it. We wouldn't need feminism if this wasn't the case.

That's not a get-out-of-jail-free card though. Women aren't entitled to use vile misogynistic slurs against other women and then plead "surviving the patriarchy" as an excuse. No more than Piers Morgan would (should) be excused from using equivalent language about women because of the pressure of lad culture.

I think she gave someone some information on her family and mentioned that her half-sister (that wonderful angel who's never said a word against her) had 4 kids with 4 guys. I don't think she actually pronounced judgement against her, she just stated a fact.

The background is that Meghan gave a written list of talking points to her aide to take to the writer of Finding Freedom. One of the points that Meghan wanted to make was that a particular women shouldn't be listened to, so she included in her list the fact that this women has children by more than one father as a reason for her not to be someone worth listening to.

She didn't think this list would ever become public. You learn far more about someone from what they say in private then what they parade around as part of their PR strategy.

I think she has always used her platform for feminist causes.

But the platform itself is the very essence of patriarchy. Even though she's 'rejected' the royal family, things like wanting titles for the children and fighting to retain their enormous privilege doesn't scream 'feminist' to me.

So I'm on the fence.

@ButNotForLong was that a general point, or specifically about her half sister, who was hostile to her anyway?

Yes, the half-sister is the woman being discredited.

I'm curious about your reference to the half-sister being hostile. Are some women deserving of misogynistic slurs?

Nope.

But, as with your false analogy of a campaign against abortion rights, an instance of less than ideal response against a family member who has been awful is very different to a general downer on women with children from different fathers. Which is what your first post implied.

My first post said: "She used the fact that another woman has children by different fathers as a tool to discredit that woman. She's no feminist." Could not be any clearer that it was a specific insult to a specific woman, although any use of a misogynistic slur is generally hard to reconcile with the user having any broader commitment to feminism.

What was false about the abortion rights campaign analogy? If you recall, you agreed with another poster that you can still be a feminist if you do unfeminist things. My question remains unanswered - would you see a person campaigning against abortion as a feminist who just happens to be doing an unfeminist thing? Or do you now agree with me that actions matter and carrying out unfeminist actions means that you shouldn't be called a feminist?

Yeah, you’re a GF and I’m done.

See ya.

No. Meghan is a woman who constantly uses The Current In Thing as a platform to raise her own profile. It is said she’s highly intelligent but I struggle to believe this can be true when she just keeps attempting similar type dramas to create sympathy and support but which fail flat every time. She baffles me.