I have a confession to make… I read waaaay too much celebrity gossip. I am not proud of it. I’ll click on over to Yahoo to check my (mostly junk) email inbox, and there will inevitably be some click-baited link about some celebrity or another, and even though I don’t actually *care*…. I click it.
This is *especially* bad when it has anything to do with the British Royal Family. I’ve been interested in all things British since I was a wee child and wished I could convince my parents to send me to boarding school or let me do a foreign exchange program (they, unsurprisingly, said no.)
So, when I saw that Prince Harry was dating and eventually got engaged to Meghan Markle, I was IN. TO. IT. A real life Black American Princess? YES! A smart, intelligent role model for boys and girls everywhere getting lots of love and press?! SIGN ME UP!
But that energy and excitement has very quickly morphed into all out rage, because almost every news outlet on the f*!#ing internet keeps diminishing her accomplishments- basically all of which happened LONG before she started dating a prince.
Just today, I saw her described in one article as “Meghan Markle, messy bun enthusiast”, because apparently the way she’s wearing her hair these days is the most important thing about her. Not “Meghan Markle, activist, humanitarian, and UN ambassador” or even “Actress from Suits”. Nope… she’s being diminished to the point that we can only comment on her appearance. Another article (if its even worth being called that) focused on whether or not she would go on the same diet Kate Middleton did before her wedding.
Now, I know I’m part of the problem- I am one of the people who clicks on all of this crap that is being written solely to get clicks and not because the authors have any interest in high quality journalism. But I don’t think that makes my rage any less valid.
Honestly, the fact that women the world over aren’t banding together to start a revolution and Hulk-smashing the patriarchy every time an accomplished woman gets diminished to little more than “Walking head of hair that wears clothes you should go buy” is baffling to me. THIS REPRESENTATION IN THE MEDIA IS. NOT. COOL!!
So, I stand behind my rant. I stand behind Meghan and all the amazing, cool shit she does to make the world a better place. I stand behind ALL women who do their part to make the world a better place- regardless of how they’re wearing their hair that day.
-Shila
The Fourth Leaf 