Meghan Markle's Netflix Show *Is* Cringe... & That's OK

It’s a tale as old as time — society begs woman to stop being miserable, woman does something with gusto and joy, woman is demonized for being fake and tone-deaf and cringe. And, truly, nobody seems to have suffered as much with this cycle as Meghan Markle. The former Duchess of Sussex can never do anything right, and that has carried into her Netflix lifestyle show With Love, Meghan. But for all the people who insist the show is dumb and a waste of money, there is me (and many others) proudly waving our own grocery store snacks in favor bags and Googling beekeeping. There are so many of us who, like Meghan in her show, are just trying to suck out a little more joy every day. We want to romanticize our lives; we want that dopamine hit of the perfect cookie coming out of the oven; we want to be a place of warmth for our children.

And we are well aware that’s cringe.

Look, With Love, Meghan doesn’t stand a chance with people who had already decided they hated this woman. It’s like people who hated Camilla Parker Bowles in the ‘90s and still can’t wrap their heads around her now being the Queen of England. And whatever, it’s fine. But if you’re watching With Love, Meghan and arguing that this is a terrible, crappy, horrible show — and then swearing up and down it has nothing to do with Meghan — I’m sorry, but you’re full of sh*t.

The show has all the characteristics of a good cooking and lifestyle show. Each episode features a fun hobby (like beekeeping) and a little field trip outside of the “set” to wander. There are celebrity guests and friends whose whole point is to be delightful when they come over and shower the host, Meghan Markle, with compliments. There is food and DIY party favors and drinks, and look, you can snark all you want on the idea of putting pretzels from one big bag into a smaller plastic bag, but I raise you literally any influencer on TikTok or Instagram. Y’all don’t seem to have a problem buying stupid little spice containers, 8,000 fancy spice labels, and matching gold spoons instead of using the packaging your garlic powder came in. So, how am I supposed to believe you don’t hate Meghan Markle?

I am indifferent to this woman as a celebrity, as an actor, as a former member of the royal family. But I see a lot of myself in Meghan, with the hope that you can make things a little better, with the idea that you can be a source of comfort and home for your friends and family, with the desire that people will find you joyful and happy, always. Does that mean that sometimes we come off cringe? 100%.

I can be overwhelmingly wholesome, sharing Instagram stories of the homemade pancakes I’m making for my kids, feeling immense pride when a pan of cinnamon rolls comes out perfectly. I beam when someone comes into my house and comments on the fresh flowers I’ve bought and arranged. I pride myself on being the kind of home where people know I have plenty of snacks or can whip up a platter of quesadillas with just a moment’s notice. I sew, and I garden, and I open up all the windows in our house and just stare at our backyard, romanticizing every single bit of my life. I, too, have wanted to take up calligraphy so I can learn how to hand-address a beautiful birthday card to a friend. I want to create “moments.”

And to a bunch of people, that is extremely cringe.

To me, it’s just finding some f*cking joy.

If you hate Meghan Markle’s show because she’s just “copying” icons like Martha Stewart, Ina Garten, or Nigella Lawson, I’m begging you to look inward. Really think about why you feel that way. Because the reason Martha and Ina and Nigella are considered pioneers of their crafts — the reason you call them iconic — is because millions became food influencers, chefs, and lifestyle brands after them. Do you roll your eyes at Jennifer Garner being all corny and goofy in her corner of the internet with her Pretend Cooking Shows? Do you think Joanna Garcia Swisher’s Instagram is tone-deaf because how dare she show us how to make an extremely common quinoa salad in her million-dollar kitchen? Do you yell at your phone when That Midwestern Mom pops up with her fridge restocks, or do you ask her for links to her fridge organizers, the counter spray she’s using, and even her gray sweatpants?

People argue that Meghan Markle is tone-deaf. Maybe she is. She’s a celebrity. She doesn’t have to worry about money. But to argue that this show is a terrible idea when America’s going to crap is bullsh*t. Isn’t all entertainment garbage then? What are any of us doing trying to find a smidge of joy in a world full of hate, despair, and bloated budgets? Should we all just be staring at walls and letting the crushing forces around us extinguish our will to live? Or is it OK if we get inspired by homemade jam, buy ourselves raspberries, and feel just a little bit better?

“She’s just doing it to make money.” Do you think Ina and Martha were doing this for fun?

“She just wants everyone to think she’s perfect.” Generally, I find that most celebrities only want you to see the side of them that they want you to see.

“She’s cringe.” Yep. And so am I. So are all of us who are sometimes a little too wholesome for our own good, all of us who are pretending we live in a Beatrix Potter illustration and gathering wildflowers in our own backyards and making homemade jam.

But most of us are pretty happy, too. You’re the one angry about a Netflix show.