Meg’s era of joy

[Triplesec]

Showing up to support her very close friend who lost her child and also the children’s hospital at an evening gala. What a friend to have in the Duchess. Meghan was glowing, fresh faced, wore minimal makeup, was confidant and smiley. She was well spoken and supportive of the evening fund raiser when interviewed. Show Up, Do Good. Yes, she always does. Loved her look too.

Agreed. As a 60s/70s child, I was never told I was pretty, gorgeous etc. And nor were any of my friends, I imagine. To be honest, I wasn't pretty at all, so I don't feel hard done by. I was occasionally praised for my academic achievements, but that was rare and hard-won. Being praised by adults just wasn't a thing then - we all survived.

I’m sorry. Meghan looked far from young and fresh faced.

And if that is minimal make up then I’m a Dutchman.

She was bonny. She used to be fresh faced. She used to look well.

Sadly, something about that look just made her look merely well-preserved. Like furniture.

We all age - not that she is old of course. But she is not young and could have looked great as she got older.

And she just isn’t.

I think Diana was criticised for the dress to her first public engagement because it was black.

There was some rule about when to wear black dresses that she broke.

She was criticised.Imagine. I thought MM was the only one to be truly badly treated by the press.

Doesn't make it right. It just illustrates she dodn't have it uniquely badly.

It was strapless and quite low-cut too StrawberryWasp. I’m old enough to remember there was Is-There-Or-Is-There-Not-AereolaGate as she exited the car when they arrived.

Going back to “Meg’s era of joy”, maybe they will use the fact that Taylor Swift had security for her “”Eras” tour and the fact that Meghan is currently experiencing an “era” as evidence that they need free security too 🤷‍♀️😆

There was some rule about when to wear black dresses that she broke

Yes. Black is usually reserved for mourning. And yes there were rumblings about her décolletage but
the majority were tongue in cheek about there almost being a national disaster when she stepped out of the car.

Also, ‘ forget this was 1981 and an incredibly sexist time. There was an awful lot of “Phwoarrr, cop a load of that, how did Prince Charles pull that…” in the commentary.

I can't remember who said it but one acerbic commentator wrote that if you wear a strapless dress when sitting down most of the time you look like you are in a hip bath.

Poor Diana. She was so young.

The friend (Kelly) dress was lovely, I thought.

it was beautiful. Someone else said she was there as a bereaved mother, and the colour and style reflected thst, while still being glamorous enough for the occasion.

I'm not sure why the "revenge dress" thing is being posited in the press either unless tongues are firmly in cheek, because there is no comparison. Diana's Christina Stamboulian dress was wonderful and she looked amazing in it.

Meghan can also look great (I loved her evening wedding dress more than pretty much any other Royal garment, ever) but the red one is not a good dress, at all.

Yes. The "sophisticated" dress that I'm sure a lot of us (her contemporaries) might have chosen under the same circumstances at that time just highlighted how very young she was.

I remember it too.

My boyfriend of the time was given a "Not the Nine O'Clock News" annual for Christmas which referred to "AreolaGate" (excellent term😊) by saying something like "The public was shocked when the shadow of a freak lunar eclipse fell across Lady Diana's breast making it appear that part of her nipple was visible.

My mother told me that the RF never wore all black unless they were in mourning (so they always had a black outfit packed if they were travelling).

Revenge for what? And who was it aimed at?

Diana's "revenge dress" was specifically targeted at Charles and Camilla because they had an event on the same evening.

Who had an event on that she needed to distract press attention from?

Eh ? I never put a spin on anything . The impression I got from your post was that you thought Meghan was copying Diana by wearing a black ballgown to the cinema . I pointed out that Diana wasn’t at the cinema and was dressed appropriately for the very grand occasion rather than looking ridiculous sitting in Jamaica’s answer to the Odeon in a ball gown !

Her husband? Lol

No it wasn’t a thing. I remember my mum did used to say I had a complexion like peaches and cream. She’d say I was pretty if I disparaged my looks (I thought I was a plain jane, very mousy as a child). Parents didn’t tend to randomly bestow compliments on your looks back then.

My grandparents in the 1970s (and parents to some extent) were very puritanical about 'vanity', and would have a few choice words if they found me gazing at my reflection, or if I gushed over someone's looks.

It may sound awful to younger people - and possibly caused issues of self-confidence for some - but it was different, less pushy and self-promoting era. As with most things, the healthiest approach is somewhere in the middle. I suspect there'll be just as many issues, if not more, caused by today's selfie-obsessed culture with its unrealistic standards of female beauty!

Damn - can't find the post I wanted to refer to...

In another blast from the past, someone referred to Meghan as 'bonny' at an earlier stage in her life. Now that word was the bane of my teenage years because my granny admired young girls who could be described as 'bonny'. I interpreted it as fat, but of course, it doesn't mean that. And I also thought Meghan looked lovely when she had a rounder, slightly plumper face (don't mean the obvious baby-round face just after she had Archie) but at that early period she did look nice.

Still don't like the woman, but of course she was very pretty then. Whatever she's doing now (be it surgery, fillers or Ozempic) it's in danger of giving her a very long face with a prominent jaw and teeth - I won't say she's 'horse-faced' but she needs to be careful. That kind of bony-ness can be ageing..

Can you point out the excessive makeup? I’m curious. Genuinely. I hardly wear any myself so I guess I can’t recognise it.
I see foundation, mascara, brow powder…?

I wouldn’t say it’s excessive, but it’s the kind of look - with the heavy brows and low-key lip - that might make you think it’s minimal make up. But it’s not. Her natural freckles aren’t obvious, so it’s a medium to heavy coverage foundation. She definitely has a lot of bronzer on (obvious on her forehead by her hairline) and corresponding highlighting on cheeks, forehead and nose so I’d assume she’s contoured her brow bones and nose too. She has cheek colour on, plus eyeshadow, eyeliner and what looks like false eyelashes to me.

I don’t believe I said excessive. I said it was not minimal make-up.

Quite different.

But there is a lot more on her face than the products you noted.

You only have to look at the recent Southport visit by W and C ... Can you imagine her doing that kind of thing? I can't! At least, not without making it about her, or doing something awful to bereaved people as she did on the SA mothers' group video

Exactly, @CoffeeCantata, and that's why I suggessted it would never have worked in the first place - not that I've ever believed she intended hanging around once the ring and baby were in place

I can just about see folk hoping Meghan would be an asset back at the start, but to suggest the same even now, after all she's done, just seems absurd

I agree, she’s got plenty of makeup on. That picture really shows how much her face has changed and lost any vestiges of softness. She’s hard, angular, masculine looking.

The dress is horrible, both iterations, but apart from that, the casual hair is completely wrong for the dress, even without the huge skirt. I don’t understand why she doesn’t understand how to style herself, it’s baffling to me.

Era of joy?

Yes. Just not hers.

Although I will finish with one who did duchessing so much better.

And all without a carapace of bronzer.