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Meghan Markle should have explicitly titled the latest episode of her hit Archetypes podcast the "slut episode" because you're not "destigmatizing" a label if you are "going at the topic sideways," Newsweek's latest episode of The Royal Report podcast has heard.
Chief royal correspondent Jack Royston and royal commentator Kristen Meinzer discussed the duchess' podcast in the context of its stated aim to "dissect, explore, and subvert the labels that try to hold women back."
In the first episode of the series—the product of a multi-million-dollar content creation deal signed by Meghan and Prince Harry with the streaming giant Spotify—the duchess said that she would "live inside" and "rip apart" the boxes which women are placed in by society, with labels such as: "diva, crazy, the b-word" and "slut."
All of these labels have been explicitly referenced in the titles of their respective episodes except "slut" which was included under the title: "Beyond the Archetype: Human, Being."
"Every episode of Archetypes picks a particular label and then dissects that label and that's the format," Royston told Meinzer.
"But they did something slightly different with the most recent one which feels like it was probably supposed to be about one of the labels mentioned in the very first episode, which reeled off a list like 'diva' and the 'B-word' which all materialized, but then also suggests that there might be an episode about the label 'slut.'"
"This particular episode," he continued, "feels like it was meant to be that label, but for some reason they've pivoted and they've built the title around going beyond the Archetype to the 'human being.'
"For some reason they've not gone for it, they've kind of gone half in."
The episode in question featured an interview with author Candice Bushnell, whose 1990s newspaper column was turned into the source material for the hit TV show Sex and The City.
"She talks a bit about female sexuality and the way that the women she wrote about in the 90s broke the mold," said Royston of Bushnell's inclusion. "So, it really feels like this was that [slut archetype] episode and I'd be really fascinated to know why they pulled out of actually framing it in that way."
To Meinzer, the decision not to directly tackle the label "slut" in some ways minimized the impact of the important point being made about destigmatizing words used to keep women down.
"I thought if they'd do anything that they'd do it in the same way they did with the B-word episode, the one about being a B****," she said of the series' ninth installment.
"That's what I thought they would do, it's like they're trying to walk a delicate line here, they're trying not to be under the 'explicit' rating—you know a lot of podcasts have to list themselves as 'explicit' and 'family friendly' and so on—so maybe they were trying to avoid that," she continued.
"I really thought if you're trying to destigmatize the 'slut' label, then just call it the 'slut' episode or the 'S- - -' episode. It's like, you're not really destigmatizing it when you are kind of going at the topic sideways that way, in my opinion."
The 12-episode run of Archetypes is expected to conclude on Tuesday. There has been no news of a second season, or if the duchess will move on to a different project once this one has finished.
The show has included a host of guest stars, many interviewed by Meghan herself, including Mariah Carey to discuss the "diva" label; Serena Williams to discuss "ambitious"; Mindy Kaling, "singleton"; and Paris Hilton "bimbo."
Archetypes began its run in August but took a four-week hiatus in September out of respect for Meghan's grandmother-in-law Queen Elizabeth II, who died aged 96 on September 8.
The show was nominated for a People's Choice Award in the "Pop Podcast of 2022" category. Results of the public vote will be announced in a star-studded ceremony on December 6.
Newsweek has approached representatives of Meghan Markle for comment.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more