News on Meghan and Harry

[Viviennemary]

Since they are in the news more or less daily why not a thread on this. Latest I've read over the last few days is that Meghan is going to produce a film from a book. And later this month she is teaming up with Michelle Obama for project on gender equality. Both sound interesting projects.

I love Michelle O but she wouldn't have the platform she does if she hadn't married Barack. I think she struggles with that a bit as am sure she could have become super successful herself as she is extremely intelligent.

[quote Nishky]@BalloonSlayer I agree entirely, and in some advertising I saw she is listed as her full name but with Duchess of Sussex underneath- a title she gained by marriage- why not actress/activist/charity campaigner[/quote]
I noticed this. I would have much more respect for both of them if they dropped their Sussex titles from their PR. Why are they so insistent on using them?

I too love Michelle Obama but she only got to do all that great stuff as FLOTUS because she was FLOTUS.

Would she have been invited to speak if she was a great lawyer who just happened to be married to another great lawyer no one had ever heard of?

Meghan too has achieved a lot. She made a successful career in an extremely-difficult-to-succeed-in industry. There are loads of performing arts courses and students in this country, who would be very interested in the story of her success. But would she have been invited to talk about it before marrying Royalty?

She's been particularly unlucky it seems as judging by the wedding guests she's walked away from a toxic family on her mothers side, on her father's side and now her in-laws

I can imagine Oscar Wilde's response to that...

Perhaps it means she understands? Oh hang on... that's a bit of a stretch for Meghan Markle...

I saw her being referred to as Duchess Meghan. This is quite wrong. So annoying.

@Roussette I think Michelle Obama has done far more than just marry a man. Being FLOTUS, school meals program, LBGTQ rights, and she did a hell of a lot for feminism

Being a first lady is not really an accomplishment.

The school meal program was widely criticized, and lost money for many school districts, which is partly why it was overturned by the Trump administration. The goals were laudable, but I don't think you can call it a success. In some areas it was, in others, not so much.
Michelle Obama also had virtually no role in the LBTGQ rights movement. There's a book about this, written by Jo Becker.

I am unaware of what Michelle Obama did for feminism. Care to list the achievements?

I think Michelle Obama had success in her "Let's Move" campaign. I also think she was (and is) a great role model, who never sunk to the level of all those who criticized her, 99.99% of the time, unfairly.

@mrscampbellblackagain I love Michelle O but she wouldn't have the platform she does if she hadn't married Barack. I think she struggles with that a bit as am sure she could have become super successful herself as she is extremely intelligent.

She would not have had the platform she did as first lady, but Michelle Obama had a very successful career in Chicago, and she gave all of that up so Barack Obama could fulfill his dreams. She didn't want to leave Chicago. So, I'd say, she was already super successful, and sacrificed her professional career so his could advance.

Surely women's equality needs to be moving away from "marry a rich/successful/famous man" as the example set for young women

How about getting Angela Merkel, or Theresa May or even Diane Abbott to speak?

Women who reject patriarchy are not interesting in our (patriarchal) world and are not rewarded for it. You have to accept at least some patriarchy, such as speaking from your husband's name as opposed to your own expertise, in order to get the gigs. The irony, of course, is that what they then speak about becomes irrelevant. The audience is there to listen to their husband's platform. It's as much a reflection of us, the listeners, as anything else. A real test would be to hear MO speak legalese and MM about the technicalities of lighting or stagecraft.

Meghan is teaming up with Michelle Obama in the same way she’s collaborating with QEII

On the film production side - It’s highly unlikely that she is going to be executive producing, ie involved in the actual creative making of the film. She will be Bringing a rich friend or two on board to put money in, and will take a producer credit for doing so; she’ll probably take a fee for it as well as a % of the cash she raises and a back end share in the film IF it’s profitable. Her name will be plastered over the publicity and she’ll be a part of any awards package as her name will generate press. Not a bad deal on either side and bare minimum work for her )but crucially, relying one rich friends and title entirely)

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/07/09/meghan-markle-naming-friends-defended-just-clickbait-could-damage/?utm_content=telegraph&utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1594283123

The Duchess of Sussex has accused the Mail on Sunday of a “vicious” attempt to name five friends who gave an anonymous interview in her favour, saying it poses a threat to their mental health for "clickbait".

LOL @TryAnotherNickname. That's exactly right. Obama and Markle are speaking at the same conference, they are not "teaming up".

I forgot one of Michelle Obama's major achievements, related to eating healthier foods. She teamed up with Wal-Mart to make foods the latter carried healthier (packaged foods - Wal-Mart agreed to carry foods with less trans fats, sugar, and salt), and for restaurants to carry healthier choices on their kid menus.

cool She was thought of as the face of feminism in the US for a while as I understand it. And I'm not here to list her achievements for you to pick to pieces because I posted it.

The 'Let Girls Learn' initiative encouraging education for girls across the world not being educated.

Being a first lady is not really an accomplishment
Being a power for good as a first lady really is.

I think what Michelle O did really well was the 'when they go low they go high' - not dissimilar to the general strategy of the RF.

Moving into celeb territory, it is a bit like Kate Moss who says very little and manages to keep the mystique going. She doesn't respond publicly to criticism or praise. I imagine it is very hard to do but it does seem to work for some as a strategy.

Meghan was named as a doctor on Companies House website. It must have been a clerical error. But the DM has a long article on it and lots of daft comments making a joke of it. That's bit mean I thought. The mistake has now been corrected.

@Rousette She was thought of as the face of feminism in the US for a while as I understand it.

Your understanding is mistaken. I consume a huge amount of US media, A little less than half of Americans ever identified Michelle Obama as the "face" of feminism. That said, she did champion some things, such as suggesting men needed to be "better" (for lack of a better word).

I'm not here to nitpick what you post - I was truly interested, as I don't recall Michelle Obama ever being overtly feminist, per the above. Perhaps I am missing something.

Being a power for good as a first lady really is.

Sure, but you missed my point. Assuming the office of FLOTUS is not an achievement. What you do with that office is where achievement occurs, and all modern first ladies (with the exception, perhaps, of Melania Trump) have achieved something, just different things, for the benefit of Americans.

I think what Michelle O did really well was the 'when they go low they go high' - not dissimilar to the general strategy of the RF.

Yes, that is true. She was criticized far more than MM has ever been, and really truly vile, racist things were written about her, and posted on social media.

Michelle Obama will be the future US president one day of that I am certain, she has everything required to be an amazing leader.

She has stated, several times, that she has no political ambitions. She said she doesn't have the patience for what's required for the role.

I think Harry used Meghan much more than she used him (she didn’t use him), he wanted an escape from a toxic family and to start his own life so he deliberately chose a wife who would support him in leaving. No other woman would sacrifice so much to make her husband happy.

Disappointing but not surprising that so many Meghan-Bashers also hate Michelle Obama.

No one here has posted anything negative about Michelle Obama. Perhaps you should learn to read before making false accusations.

Michelle O utilised the platform of being FLOTUS in numerous sustained and powerful ways. Despite constant ugly death threats and vicious personal attacks. Meghan was given a platform through her marriage and didn't stay around long enough to do enough with it. Made a good start then somehow it all descended into falling out with everyone, court cases and complaining about how hard her life was (while representing the Queen on tour.) No comparison with the achievements of Obama.

@calmcoolandcollected

Just because we have a female queen now, it doesnt change what has led us to this point and all the other ills it represents.

But I don't think the institution is misogynistic today. I believe the press is, though. I doubt the attacks on Diana, Sarah, Sophie, Kate, and Meghan would have occurred with such ferocity, if at all, were they the male spouse of a member of the BRF.

this is completely true!

I predict George's future wife will be vilified and then grudgingly liked once she has proved her worth by the press. Charlotte's husband will be completely ignored and poor old Louis's wife will get the worst treatment of all unless she is plain looking and then she will be ignored and dismissed as irrelevant.

It is much better to have female children in the royal family - as their male spouses get much better treatment or just ignored by the press than vice versa.

(this is assuming all grow up to be heterosexual of course)

Would people agree that it's doubtful the Hollywood lifestyle will suit Harry for any length of time. Though I suppose he hasn't had the chance yet to try it out properly.