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‘Trad wife’ claims sully her lifestyle brand launch
Meghan Markle has finally announced the launch of her long-rumoured lifestyle brand, but though her fans are behind her, the move has been widely criticised. Now, an insider tells heat that Meghan’s standing by her project and has recruited some powerful pals to help make it a success.
In a noticeable career pivot, Meghan, 42, announced the launch of new lifestyle brand American Riviera Orchard last week. It’s been reported that the platform –the name of which pays tribute to her and Harry’s Montecito home –will sell things such as cookbooks, food, and home essentials. In a hazy video shared to social media, the Duchess was seen arranging flowers and baking in her picturesque mansion, accompanied by the sweet sounds of some slow jazz. But while many were excited to see her next step, not everyone was positive.
Questioning whether the Duchess’ new brand could be “cheerily cashing in on all manner of outdated tropes of womanhood”, The Standard wrote, “Flower arranging, mixing things in a bowl, [and] prancing around her mansion in a ball gown is giving one quite clear archetype (to borrow her podcast term): trad wife. Which is, for the self-proclaimed feminist and activist, quite the pivot.” Drawing comparisons to Gwyneth Paltrow’s own wellness brand, The Times’ branded American Riviera Orchard a “sanitised [version of] Goop”, while one PR expert warned against the potential hypocrisy, stating, “You can’t one minute be championing the underprivileged and then the next minute be standing in your luxury kitchen selling luxury homemade products.” Indeed, Meghan’s bio on her website Sussexroyal also bigs up her progressive credentials, claiming, “The Duchess of Sussex is a feminist and champion of human rights and gender equity. Her lifelong advocacy for women and girls remains a constant thread in her humanitarian and business ventures”.
However, plenty of people were excited. One PR expert said that the brand will represent “everything that Meghan loves –family, cooking, entertainment, and home décor”, adding, “This is something she’s been wanting to do for a while.” On top of that, the brand’s Instagram page has amassed over half a million followers, and while the world debates the whys and wherefores of American Riviera Orchard, an insider tells heat that Meghan is proudly standing by her brand.
“Meghan is all too aware that she’ll never be able to please everyone. Criticism comes with the territory, and most of it tends to wash over her these days. However, the suggestion that she’s some kind of fraud feminist has cut deep,” says our source. “She’s adamant that she’s no fake. She’s gone out of her way to create something that’s authentic, emp
