“With fame comes opportunity, but it also includes responsibility,” says Markle who essays paralegal/lawyer-in-training Rachel Zane in USA Network’s mammoth hit TV series, Suits.
CULTUREVULTURE
Essaying a lawyer on the hit TV series Suits, the actress is more than just Prince Harry’s girlfriend.
If we need to ‘remind’ people that Markle is in fact more than just Prince Harry’s girlfriend, then that just goes to show how ridiculous and misogynistic some publications can be. The Suits star has a fan following of her own ever since the legal series became a reality (and global phenomenon) and it is sad to see click-bait journalism drowning out her individual identity. A case in point was a recent headline featuring the actress that went like this: ‘Meghan Markle, Prince Harry’s Girlfriend, Wrote a Personal Essay from HerSuitsTrailer.’
The article went on to say things like how Markle spent time on the sets of the show googling things like “Kensington Palace + nearby coffeeshops” as if she has nothing else to do on the actual show. Are we the only ones fuming at such an introduction? When was the last time a male actor was introduced in such fashion based on his relationships?
This is also especially troubling because the essay in question is a poignant piece penned by Markle and made no mention of the actresses’ relationship but was focused on the the grim reality of her charity work. Printed in Elle UK, in the essay Markle addresses several important issues. She wrote about being in Rwanda where she was working as an advocate for UN Women and she received an invitation to the BAFTAs. “I had never been and had always romanticised it,” she wrote. “My brain, heart and spirit couldn’t shift gears that quickly, from the purpose-driven work I had been doing all week in Rwanda to the polished glamour of an awards show. ‘No,’ my heart said. And it wasn’t a soft whisper; it was a lion’s roar.”
There is also mention of Fatima Bhutto in Markle’s essay. When Suits became successful, the actress knew that she needed to do something with the voice she had been given, so she started her own blog called thetig.com. “Iknew that girls were checking it for fashion tips, but by including thoughtful pieces about self-empowerment, or featuring dynamic women such as the Pakistani poet and writer Fatima Bhutto, I was hoping to integrate social consciousness and subjects of higher value than selfies.”
Thankfully, Markle is one of those celebrities with a sensible head on her shoulders as she deems it necessary for stars to understand their role in the larger scheme of things. “With fame comes opportunity, but it also includes responsibility –to advocate and share, to focus less on glass slippers and more on pushing through glass ceilings. And, if I’m lucky enough, to inspire.”