'Proud to be a woman and a feminist': Meghan Markle's royal bio is here, and it's amazing.
Meghan Markle just turned the royal family upside down in all the best ways.
Markle's welcome into the royal family marked a significant cultural and historical shift. She's an American. She's biracial. She's a divorcee. None of those things are a big deal on this side of the pond, but we're talking about the British monarchy, where tradition and formality are defined. And with Markle's marriage to Prince Harry, those definitions are changing.
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The wedding itself, including a rousing sermon by a black American bishop and the distinct flavor of a full gospel choir, was a testament to such change. Watching a person of color take her place in the royal family of England was historic, and the way black culture was honored and celebrated in the ceremony made a clear statement of progress.
But that's not where the story ends.
In her official royal bio, the duchess of Sussex unapologetically pronounced her feminism.
It's one thing to be an outspoken feminist before joining the British monarchy. It's another to make it a hallmark of your royal biography.
Markle's official bio on the royal family's website starts off traditionally enough, describing her marriage to Harry and where they are living. Then it dives into Markle's lifelong work for "social justice and women's empowerment," including how "she successfully campaigned for a company to alter their television advert that had used sexist language to sell washing-up liquid" when she was 11. (That's dishwashing soap, by the way.)
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The bio highlights her involvement with One World Vision, her role as the U.N. women's advocate for women's political participation and leadership, and her appointment as global ambassador for World Vision.
But right in the middle of that, this quote from Markle is called out in large, bold font:
"I am proud to be a woman and a feminist."
Welp. There you go. Of all the quotes that could have been included, that's the one they went with. Straight up. Bold. Simple. Proud to be a feminist.
For proof of how feminism changes the landscape, see "menstrual hygiene products" on the royal website.
Never would I have imagined the words "menstrual hygiene" on the royal family's website. And yet, here we are.
"In 2017, her royal highness undertook a second learning mission with the organisation when she visited India with World Vision to bring a greater awareness to girls' lack of access to education," it reads. "In the slum communities of Mumbai, the duchess witnessed the work of the Myna Mahila Foundation who empower women through access to menstrual hygiene products and employment opportunities. Struck by her experience, she wrote an op-ed for Time magazine about the stigmatization of menstrual health management and its long term hindrance to girls' education."
Employees at the Myna Mahila Foundation in Mumbai, which provides menstrual products to disadvantaged women and works to end the stigma surrounding menstruation. Photo via Indranil Mukherjee/Getty Images.
It may seem silly to make a big deal out of seeing the word "menstrual" in royal communications, but it is a big deal. Social stigma surrounding menstruation is universal in various ways, and that's only going to change if it's brought into the light and talked about openly.
Now, because of Markle's work on this issue — and because she and Harry asked for donations to the Myna Mahila Foundation in lieu of gifts — menstrual stigma is now forced into the global conversation in a very natural way. Boom. Feminism at its finest.
I can't wait to see what the duchess does next.
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."