Before joining the Royal Family, it's well known that Meghan Markle was an actor and model, at one point even taking a turn as a 'Briefcase Girl' on the US version of Deal Or No Deal – something she's opened up about in the new episode of her Archetypes podcast, focussed on dissecting the stereotype of being a 'bimbo'.
In the latest episode, which sees Meghan chat to Paris Hilton, she recalls her 'short stint' in 2006 on the show and how the whole experience left her feeling less than (and reduced to nothing more than her appearance), something she said she's keen for her and Prince Harry's daughter, Lili, to avoid.
'My experience on the show, which included holding a briefcase alongside 25 other women doing the same... It was for me, fascinating,' she shares in the intro to the episode, adding that although she was trying to pursue acting at the time she was grateful to have steady work via Deal Or No Deal and health insurance.
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The Duchess continues on to share that the gig came in stark contrast to her previous experience of interning in an embassy in Argentina, where she was valued for her brain and not her looks, and shone a light on the behind-the-scenes prep that the show enforced upon Briefcase Girls.
'To paint the picture, before the tapings of the show, all the girls, we would line up and there were different stations for having your lashes put on or your extensions put in, or the padding in your bra. We were even given spray tan vouchers each week, because there was a very cookie cutter idea about what we should look like. It was solely about beauty and not necessarily about.'
MArkls adds that she also felt pressure when it came to body image too, recounting her former employer who would tell her to 'suck it in' before heading out on stage.
'When I look back at that time, I'll never forget this one detail,' Meghan shares. 'Because moments before we'd get on stage, there was a woman who ran the show and she'd be there backstage, and I can still hear her. She couldn't properly pronounce my last name at the time and I knew who she was talking to because she'd go, "Markle, suck it in! Markle, suck it in!".'
The mother-of-two explained that ended up quitting Deal or No Deal, due to how it made her feel – 'not smart'.
'I was thankful for the job, but not for how it made me feel, which was not smart. And by the way, I was surrounded by smart women on that stage with me, but that wasn't the focus of why we were there,' she said. 'I would end up leaving with this pit in my stomach knowing that I was so much more than what was being objectified on the stage. I didn't like being forced to be all looks and little substance, and that's how it felt for me at the time — being reduced to this specific archetype.'
Speaking about her life in the present day, the Duchess added that this isn't a future she ever wishes for her one-year-old daughter to experience. Later on the episode, she adds, 'I want our daughters to aspire to be slightly higher. Yeah, I want my Lili to want to be educated and want to be smart and to pride herself on those things.'
You can listen to Archetypes: Breaking Down the Bimbo with Paris Hilton & Iliza Shlesinger on Spotify now.
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Jennifer Savin is Cosmopolitan UK's multiple award-winning Features Editor, who was crowned Digital Journalist of the Year for her work tackling the issues most important to young women. She regularly covers breaking news, cultural trends, health, the royals and more, using her esteemed connections to access the best experts along the way. She's grilled everyone from high-profile politicians to A-list celebrities, and has sensitively interviewed hundreds of people about their real life stories. In addition to this, Jennifer is widely known for her own undercover investigations and campaign work, which includes successfully petitioning the government for change around topics like abortion rights and image-based sexual abuse. Jennifer is also a published author, documentary consultant (helping to create BBC’s Deepfake Porn: Could You Be Next?) and a patron for Y.E.S. (a youth services charity). Alongside Cosmopolitan, Jennifer has written for The Times, Women’s Health, ELLE and numerous other publications, appeared on podcasts, and spoken on (and hosted) panels for the Women of the World Festival, the University of Manchester and more. In her spare time, Jennifer is a big fan of lipstick, leopard print and over-ordering at dinner. Follow Jennifer on Instagram, X or LinkedIn.
