Meghan Markle has been an official member of the royal family for about a year and a half now, but she has dealt with negative attention for many years. Markle was born to an interracial couple and has been open in the past about the struggles she faced growing up.
While Markle’s personal social media accounts went silent around the time of her engagement to Prince Harry, she did write an essay in 2015, when she was a successful actress, about some of the difficult times she has dealt with as a mixed-race woman. There’s one troubling question Markle used to get asked nearly every day, and it could be the negative publicity surrounding her now could be traced back to the same sources.
Meghan Markle was asked ‘what are you?’
The Duchess of Sussex used to run her very own lifestyle website, called The Tig. The site was very popular and featured a lot of Markle’s favorite things, including some of her go-to recipes, favorite workouts, wine picks, and more. Markle’s website became so popular she was often asked to write essays and guest articles for other publications. One of those publications was Elle magazine.
In 2015, Markle contributed an essay to Elle titled “I’m More Than an ‘Other.’” In the revealing, intimate essay, Markle reveals she would get asked “every day” the invasive question, “what are you?” The question, a poorly-worded way to try and find out her ethnic identity, frustrated Markle to no end, and she admitted that “being biracial paints a blurred line.”
Markle went on to describe her upbringing, and how her parents raised her to be accepting of herself and to understand that she didn’t have to fit in anywhere. Instead, she could “create her own box” and live the life she wanted to live. Markle talked about how she was present when people hurled ethnic slurs at her beloved mother, and at the derisiveness with which people reacted when they found out that her parents were divorced.
All in all, the essay not only reveals Markle has not had an easy life, but that she’s aware of the struggles people of color often face.
Meghan Markle has dealt with ‘racist’ attacks
Sadly, Markle would go to experience other incidents of racism well after she grew up. When she first started dating Prince Harry, many news outlets attacked her for various reasons, from her occupation to her heritage. It was so bad, Prince Harry released a statement that condemned the press for the “racist” coverage of Markle.
While his statement might have made a difference initially, the negative coverage has only grown worse. Markle has been portrayed as “difficult” or entitled by various media outlets. And while she hasn’t spoken out to any media outlets in her own defense, it seems as though Prince Harry is ready to take a final stand against the abuse.
Are Prince Harry and Meghan Markle done dealing with trolls?
In a bold move, Prince Harry and Markle recently announced they would be taking legal action against a UK-based newspaper called the Mail on Sunday. They claim that the magazine’s publishing of a private letter that Markle sent to her father portrays an unfair image of the situation and that the letter was doctored from its original form. While the news outlet stands by the letter they published, the fact that Prince Harry and Markle are taking a stand indicates that they are finally done with the negativity.
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