Meghan Markle Makes Her Feelings Crystal Clear On Reclaiming Of The B-Word
Don't expect to see Meghan Markle throwing around the b-word anytime soon. On a recent episode of her "Archetypes" podcast, "To 'B' or not yo 'B'? with Mellody Hobson & Victoria Jackson," the Duchess of Sussex revealed why she has no interest in reclaiming the term while also describing herself as a "word nerd." Markle's self-description makes sense considering she's also spoken about two other contentious words on her podcast.
In August, Markle and her friend Serena Williams discussed "The Misconception of Ambition." Markle said (via People), "I don't remember ever personally feeling the negative connotation behind the word 'ambitious' until I started dating my now-husband." She pointed out the double standard women are challenged with, stating, "Apparently ambition is a terrible, terrible thing, for a woman. That is — according to some." During another episode of her podcast, the duchess and Mariah Carey discussed the term "diva." However, the conversation took an awkward turn after Carey used the word to describe Markle. The duchess shared (via The Guardian), "It stopped me in my tracks when she called me a diva." After the show aired, Carey tweeted, "Yes! I called her a diva, in the most fabulous, gorgeous, and empowering meaning of the word!" Now, the Duchess of Sussex delves deep into the connotations of the b-word and explains why she may never use it.
Meghan Markle believes 'difficult' is a 'code word for the b-word'
Meghan Markle released an episode of "Archetypes" in November dedicated to the b-word. Per People, the duchess never uses the term during the podcast, opting to either to spell it out or use the term "b-word" instead. At the beginning of the discussion, Robin Thede explores how the term is often used in conversation, noting that women are called the term when they are powerful, assert themselves, or even if they refuse the attention of some men. Markle then added (via Entertainment Tonight), "I think what Robin is getting at ... is that this woman, 'Oh, she's difficult.'" She adds, "Which is really just a euphemism or probably not even a euphemism, but really a code word for the b-word." Markle's eye-opening conversation also sheds light on her own journey with the word "difficult." The Daily Express was the first outlet to brand her as "Duchess Difficult," per New York Post, and she has struggled with the label since 2018.
While Markle was happy that other people — such as Thede — are trying to reclaim the b-word, she will probably never do the same. She said, "As you may have guessed, I have zero interest in reclaiming this term. But these women I respect, whose work I love, a lot of them are entirely comfortable with that. They want to do that, to take the power out of it."