Meghan Markle said “the moment that you start making all of your personal decisions based on external judgment, then you lose your authenticity,” in a new magazine interview. The Duchess of Sussex did a sit-down interview and fashion shoot with Harper’s Bazaar in which she was asked about her recent appearance at Paris Fashion Week in October. And she took the opportunity to talk about authenticity, a quality her detractors have long argued she lacks. Why It Matters Past swipes include a South Park episode that showed Harry [described as the Prince of Canada] reach an epiphany that the only thing that matters is what they have inside. The show depicted him opening Meghan’s mouth, peering inside and shouting “hello,” before his word echoed back, indicating she was hollow. Meghan Markle’s New Magazine Interview In a sit down with Harper’s Bazaar, Meghan was asked about her recent appearance at a Balenciaga show at Paris Fashion Week and said she wanted to have fun both at home and at work: “I love being able to do both. To play in the sandbox with my kids and to play in the front row at a show. “I think the moment that you start making all of your personal decisions based on external judgment, then you lose your authenticity.” The reference to authenticity sits slightly oddly in the piece, which does not make it entirely clear which specific judgments she is referring to or why, but the Paris visit did spark a backlash. Meghan was criticized for posting a photo of a Paris bridge from the back seat of a car with her feet up, close to where Princess Diana died in a car crash. Meghan did not appear to reference that saga in her comments, however, so it may be more likely she was alluding to comments from the designer Pierpaolo Piccioli suggesting she had invited herself. She talked, though, about being friends with him and said: “I was excited for him. I reached out and I said, ‘Happy to come and support you.’ We kept it a secret, and it was really fun.” Piccioli previously told The Cut: “Meghan and I met some years ago, and we’ve been texting ever since. She reached out and said she’d love to come to the show. There was no strategy or big orchestration,” he continued. “I didn’t tell anyone she was coming because I wanted it to stay a surprise. In fashion, real surprises are rare, and this one was beautiful.” Needless to say, authenticity has been a word long associated with Meghan, but not always in a good way. Meghan Markle’s Authenticity Crisis Bethenny Frankel, former star of Real Housewives of New York City, said in a February TikTok: “Since the two of them left the monarchy they’ve never been able to really get their footing because there’s an identity issue. “Like, who she used to be, preroyal, to who she wants to be, post-royal, what his role was as a royal to what his role is now as a post-royal. “I think it’s not a branding issue, I think it’s an identity and an authenticity issue but it’s hard for people to be authentic when they’re not really sure on their own who they are or what it is.” And, of course, there was the South Park roast in which the Harry character, standing alongside the Meghan character, gives a faux inspirational closing monologue about authenticity: “Trying to make ourselves into a brand has turned us into products. We don’t need to be a brand do we? If it’s truly what we want, then we truly can get away from it all. “No more magazines and Netflix shows. We really can live a normal life. Yes, I’m sure you agree darling. We can be the people we talked about being with no more worries about how we look or the image we project to people. What matters is what we have on the inside.” When the Meghan character simply stares blankly in silence, Harry opens her mouth, stares inside and shouts “hello” but the word echoes, implying Meghan is empty inside. This is not the first time Meghan has described herself as authentic. On the Aspire with Emma Grede podcast in June, Meghan cited a video of her doing the “baby mama” dance while heavily pregnant. “I don’t think there’s any value either in being so rehearsed,” Meghan said, “and just having your talking points and just saying the thing. No, just talk. Just be authentic,” she continued, “did you see my ‘Baby Mama’ dance?”.
https://www.newsweek.com/entertainment/celebrity-news/meghan-markle-authenticity-crisis-harpers-bazaar-interview-11078741
Meghan Markle Addresses Authenticity Crisis After ‘Judgment’
