The Duchess of Sussex understandably has a desire to return to her lifestyle-blogging roots, writes Olivia Petter. But going by the trailer, this new Netflix show is mawkish and, worse still, disappointing. It was only a matter of time until the modern day trad wife phenomenon became the premise for a horror film. Think about it: all the key elements are there.
The portentous setting of suburbia: quiet streets, palatial mansions, moneyed families with perfect hair. A life defined by domestic servitude: cooking, cleaning, doing everything for everyone except yourself. And a modus operandi steeped in archaic values that oppresses women, entrapping them within the home and stripping them of their autonomy, identity, and financial independence, one homemade marshmallow at a time.
Thank goodness, then, that someone has finally taken all this and put it in its rightful home of horror. I just didn’t expect that someone to be Meghan Markle. And yet, when I watched the trailer for the Duchess of Sussex’s new Netflix show, With Love, Meghan, all I could think was: I didn’t realise there was a sequel to Get Out.
Before I continue, let me preface this by saying that I don’t have anything against Meghan. Not even a little bit. In fact, I think she has been a great advocate for women’s rights. I also respect her for speaking out about how she was allegedly treated by the royal family and taking steps to separate herself from them in order to preserve her mental wellbeing. And I wholeheartedly believe she was subject to an inordinate amount of racism and misogynoir in the UK, so I don’t blame her for heading stateside to sunny California.
