Meghan, Duchess of Sussex is highlighting the power of representation in her latest podcast chat with Mariah Carey.
During the second episode of ‘Archetypes’, Meghan explains just how much the Grammy-winning superstar meant to her as a biracial woman in particular:
“You were so formative for me,” she tells Mariah, whose mother is Irish, father is Black and has some roots in Venezuela.
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“Representation matters so much. When you are a woman and you don’t see a woman who looks like you somewhere in a position of power or influence, or even just on the screen – because we know how influential media is – when you came onto the scene, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh. Someone kind of looks like me.'”
The pair go on to discuss their experiences of being light-skinned Black women.
“You’re not treated as a Black woman. You’re not treated as a white woman. You sort of fit in between,” Meghan explains.
“I’ve always thought it should be okay to say I’m mixed,” Mariah adds. “Like, it should be okay to say that. But people want you to choose.”
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The podcast, which aims to delve into the harmful “labels and tropes” aimed at tearing women down, unpacks the word ‘diva’ during this episode. The women discuss how it was once a word associated with talent and star power, but has morphed into something much more negative:
“If you look it up, the actual definition is a woman with, typically an opera singer, usually soprano in the coloratura range with a very high voice, very strong, powerful voice. And you know, a talented woman, right?” Mariah says.
“And the next definition, right next to it is like, a difficult woman.”
The interview comes one week after Meghan spoke with BFF and tennis icon Serena Williams about the connotations of the word ‘ambitious.’ Her next guest will be actress, director and entrepreneur Mindy Kaling.
‘Archetypes’ is out not on Spotify.
(Feature Image Credit: Kathy Hutchins/Shutterstock)
