A Takeaway From Meghan + Harry + Oprah
I rarely watch live TV interviews anymore. Probably because my fiancé and I are part of that generational crew that doesn’t have cable. But when we really want to watch a live event - we search the deep-web for the streaming link and make that happen. So last night, we snuggled up and tuned in to watch the Almighty Oprah interview Meghan and Harry.
Honestly, I wasn’t expecting too much (but I still had to watch obviously). In my mind this interview would either be total fluff; they’d gab about the new baby, living in beautiful Cali and promote their new endeavors. Or — it would be a nonstop blame-the-family-game. Well - it was neither. Because when angelic, radiating, charismatic, (princess) Meghan sat down and addressed a “news” story about “making Kate cry”; “No Oprah. It was the reverse. Kate made me cry. But she apologized and I’m not trying to disparage Kate at all. But the truth is important.” I was like - OOOOHHHHHHH this is REAL!!!!
As the interview continues on, ever so eloquently, Meghan drops a line that kind of explodes my mind. She says, “I’d spent so much of my life fighting for women’s rights and empowering women’s voices. But then I became silent.” …Woah.
Now not only had Meghan “…been silenced” as Oprah inquisitively asked Meghan to clarify, Meghan had been vilified. Simultaneously in a short course of time, PM — Princess Meghan, I’m rolling with it — was hidden inside the Royal home, not allowed to speak to or see anyone, and was made the evil villain who single handedly tears the family apart. This was not her doing, this was the media scripting stories while The Firm allowed it to happen. While tabloids splashed, “move back to America” the entire system was silent. Later on in the interview she goes as far to say that her… “one regret was believing The Institution when they said they were protecting me.”
What is vital to the legitimacy of this interview was the definitive distinction they made separating the Royal Family from the Institution or “The Firm”. PM + H continued to gush over their Grandmother with deep respect and love. While The Firm consists of high level staffers who essentially run the Royal Family under the guise of The Queen. But, I’m sure I’m not the only one who felt Harry alluded to The Queen not even being in control anymore. On the contrary - The Firm controls the family. And who does The Firm work with almost exclusively? Through the tactics of fear based power and leverage? The British Media.
If you’re unfamiliar with the British media - they are notoriously AWFUL. Almost every magazine or newspaper cover reads like the National Enquirer. And they are everywhere. Overbearing, loud, arrogant and generally not true.
Little side step here — did we all not just watch, Framing: Britney Spears? Revisiting the years of her reign and seeing how horrendous the media was to our pop-queen Britney was utterly gut wrenching.
If you dare to be a talented, diligent woman who desires and achieves great amounts of success — more importantly you must be stone solid as to not be broken down by the media. If you care to survive. There is nothing more mouth watering to the tabloids than to feast on the demise of a powerful woman.
Vilifying the woman is a classic go-to move. We’ve seen it repeatedly. And even when we think that we’re not falling into the trap of blaming the woman - we are! People are quick to judge and outwardly state their opinion, and resort to believing the man first. And if you read that and feel defensive — I mean no disrespect — but take simple stories from the press and imagine switching those roles. What does that tell us?
Jessica Biel being caught holding hands and snuggling up with her costar while Justin Timberlake was at home with the kids.
A few weeks after splitting with Olivia Wilde, Jason Sudeikis has a new woman 11 years his junior.
Remember when Anne Hathaway got out of a car and accidentally exposed her self while dozens of paparazzi took photos? The public was so cruel to her and demanded answers. So what if this was Chris Evans? Everyone would probably just laugh about it! Oh wait… That did happen…
I’m going to be radical here… Do we know the timeline of when Prince Andrew was accused of sleeping with teenage girls and when Meghan became a tabloid monster? It’s pretty darn close. The treatment of Prince Andrew was greater than that of PM + H, no doubt. Was Andrew stripped of military honours? Security? Finances and titles? No. I wonder where we’d be if Piers Morgan spent more time investigating Prince Andrew than he did slandering Meghan Markle…
Back to PM. After she said her piece - a penny dropped in my brain as to why this interview was so important. Giving H + PM a safe space to tell their truth allowed dust to settle. To shine a flood light on three important issues:
1. Gender inequality within the media.
2. Deeply rooted societal racism.
3. The urgency of mental health being taken seriously.
I think it’s pretty clear that Meghan was treated… differently, than Kate. How can you legitimately explain such vast differences in treatment between two equal Royals? Not calling Prince William or Charles racist — beyond that — deep within the roots of the Monarchy and Institution. Old white traditionalists do not want a mixed race American in their bloodline. And while people are “shocked” at this “revelation” — it’s just that no one had blatantly called it out so close to home. Leave it to Oprah. Does she have to do everything?!
And touching on mental health. Two Words: Britney. Spears.
I can’t imagine how cathartic that interview must have felt. To tell their side of the story calmly, without interruption. I enjoyed the few moments when PM + H weren’t expecting a reaction from Oprah - they would simply respond to a question and Oprah would stop - Wait - what!? Then they’d take a second, think about it, repeat it and be like, “Oh… Yeah. That happened. Right?!” Like - oh wait - I’m not crazy! We’ve all been there!
Another takeaway was Prince Harry’s fierce protection of his wife. The decisions they made were difficult ones, and The Firm intentionally made them near impossible to execute. We remember back in the day when Prince Harry was notorious for his rebellion, being the bad-boy in his early twenties. This rebelliousness has grown into a strength it seems. He spent enough time in the real world to recognize abnormalities within his system; the control and targeted malice against his wife compared to that of his brothers family. Hell Yeah you’re going to protect your woman and baby! He then stated, “I was watching history repeat itself.” Chills.
As the credits rolled, I couldn’t help but think how them being together felt like destiny. Their strength, resilience and love is part of a much bigger picture. They have made a huge crack in the media pyramid. An important one, as it added to the fractures we have seen made the last four years with other big stories (predators being protected by the media). While they had to endure difficult times, ultimately they come out stronger and on top. Their platform is bigger and comes with more freedom, from which they can implement more positive change in the world. Like they are now key players in a master plan. While we have made large steps in the right direction collectively with regards to media, news and equality, we have a very long way to go. Misinformation, false narratives, predatory power and journalistic inequality are still at play and continue to tear people, families and politics apart.
Understandably, it’s hard to think about how we as the every day people can aid this transformation of women’s portrayal in the colossal media structure. But I think we can. I wrote about my girl-hate revolution with Taylor Swift, diving into why I thought I didn’t like her. Yet another example of a false narrative perpetrated by the media. My intention with that article was to encourage adjusting our every day thoughts, practicing self reflection to understand why we think a certain way. If collectively our response shifts at the bottom of the pyramid, the top will eventually have to adjust accordingly.
Thank You to Oprah for being the most genuine journalist on the planet. And to Princess Meghan and Prince Harry for your brave moves. I’ll be here watching how you change the world.
