Meghan addresses unflattering ?'Duchess Difficult' nickname and the archetype of the 'b-word'
By Natalie Oliveri|
Meghan has subtly addressed her unflattering nickname ?'Duchess Difficult' given to her during her early days as a member of the royal family.
The 41-year-old spoke about "labels that are thrown around constantly" towards women, in particular the "b-word".
The word the Duchess of Sussex was referencing is 'bitch', which she described as a "very charged word" directed at women.
Watch the video above.?
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Speaking on episode nine of Archetypes with guests Mellody Hobson and Victoria Jackson, Meghan said the word was used to label women as "difficult", adding it was a "way to insult and dismiss someone".
"What these people are implying when they use that very charged word is that this woman, 'Oh, she's difficult'.
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"Which is really just a euphemism or is probably not even a euphemism, it's really a code word for the b-word."
Meghan was given the nickname 'Duchess Difficult' by some sectors of the media soon after marrying Prince Harry in May 2018.
Prince Harry was nicknamed 'the Hostage' by some of his staff.
Meghan's came amid reports she would send emails to staff at Kensington Palace as early as 5am, leading to claims she was demanding and pushy.
Later, more serious allegations would emerge that she bullied staff, leading to several to resign.
Meghan has always denied the bullying claims.
?Speaking on Archetypes Meghan said: "Okay, so calling someone the b-word labelling them as difficult, it's often a way to insult and dismiss someone.
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"I was talking to a good girlfriend of mine this past weekend and when I saw her, she said something I had never heard before and she said, 'well, isn't that a convenient villain, an assertive woman in a position of power, being called the b word. How very convenient'.
"But that's what happens when we label someone, a woman especially one of these words, it becomes a way to take their power away, keep them in their place.
"A lot of times it's tied to the very women who have power and agency.
"So, perhaps the truth is that labelling a woman as the b-word or as difficult is often a deflection.
"A way to hide some of her really awesome qualities, her persistence, her strength, her perseverance, her strong opinion, maybe even her resilience."
The duchess highlighted female writers and comedians trying to use the b-word to their advantage but said, "you may have guessed but 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 take the power out of it."
?Meghan got into the topic of the b-word by speaking about her childhood "obsession" with television game show Jeopardy! which she described as a "daily love of my life".
It lead to her "love of facts" and love of words".
"I was an still am a word nerd"?, she added.
In a previous episode of Archetypes, Meghan ?said being "particular" did not make her difficult in a discussion about the stereotype of the "angry black woman".
The duchess said she had to remind herself that "setting boundaries" and saying what she needed did not make her "demanding" or "difficult" but "clear".
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