The Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle married into the British Royal family with grand pomp & splendor on the 19th of May 2018, effectively becoming the first woman of mixed descent to marry a Royal. It was a huge shift in the Royal family’s public image & perception by welcoming a non-Anglo Saxon into the fold, from tradition to modernity. But the Meghan and Harry wedding alone doesn’t define Meghan Markle, a role model for many young women across the world.
We’ve previously spoken about the inspiration for the brand - what makes a Baré Woman! Here’s why she really represents the ideals & values we cherish here at Baré.
Raised Simple to Grow Strong
Born in a largely homogenous community in Los Angeles, Meghan & her family fought racism & sexism throughout her life. Raised in The Valley, the neighbourhood was a safe one, but not exactly diverse. LA news were then dominated by the racially charged Rodney King and Reginald Denny cases. In the midst of this all, her African-American mom & Caucasian father confidently raised her to be the strong independent woman we know her as today.
The racial insults were always present throughout Meghan Markle’s childhood. As her mom was a dark complexioned woman with a light-skinned baby in tow, she was continually assumed to be the nanny to baby Meghan. When she was about seven, her father intended to buy her a Barbie family doll set. This included a mom doll, a dad doll, and two children - but it was only sold in sets of white or black dolls. He knew exactly what to do - he bought both sets, took them apart and customised the set to give her own Heart Family. A really touching story!
Breaking Stereotypes on the Silver Screen
Early on in her career, Meghan found it hard to fit into boxes. Being tagged as 'ethnically ambiguous', she struggled to find suitable roles because she wasn't deemed “black enough” for African-American roles - while being told she wasn't white enough for the white ones. She struggled for several years, doing small one-off character roles and even appearing on Deal Or No Deal as a ‘suitcase girl’.
Her breakthrough came in July 2011, when she joined the cast of Suits as the character Rachel Zane. Spoiler alert! The character began as a paralegal and eventually became an attorney. Markle worked hard to portray her character, who provided the show a moral conscience as an attorney fighting & breaking both gender & racial stereotypes.
A Confident Public Intellectual & Supporter of Causes
Meghan also grew to be a well-established writer, the Editor-in-Chief of her lifestyle brand The Tig. From 2014 to 2017, she ran the website that featured the popular "Tig Talk" column. She featured many strong, independent successful women across multiple fields, like Jessica Alba, Gail Simmons, Ella Woodward, Daphne Oz, Elizabeth ‘Liz’ Hurley, Lauren Bush, Dianna Agron and Jessica Stam on the column.
She’s spoken several times on gender equality, women’s rights, modern-day slavery and social justice in public. In 2016, she became a global ambassador for World Vision Canada. She campaigned for clean water in Rwanda and traveled to India to raise awareness on issues concerning women. She also wrote an op-ed for Time magazine concerning stigmatization of women with regards to menstrual health.
In a world that’s full of resistance to change, Meghan Markle is a shining example of the Baré spirit. She is an inspiration not because she’s a royal princess - it’s because she’s a proud feminist, a career-focused, independent-minded individual and above all, a strong woman.
We tip our hat to her efforts & wish her the best.
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