Meghan Markle’s Recent Move Disrespects Martha Stewart
Here she is again. This week, Meghan Markle unveiled the latest name for her lifestyle brand — As Ever.
It seems like the ideal title for a duchess who continuously attempts to assert the same claim: I’m authentic!
Forget about the American Riviera Orchard name that she teased last year. The vision she presented with a heavily edited, dreamy video featuring her in a rustic kitchen (not her own, but that’s beside the point) arranging flowers and wandering in a ball gown.
Nope, this new Instagram video — depicting Meghan in a garden with a simple white shirt and messy hair — represents the real her, in all her earthy California glory.
Believe her!
“Last year, I thought that American Riviera sounded like a fantastic name. It’s my neighborhood. It’s a nickname for Santa Barbara, but it limited me to products that were just manufactured and grown in this area,” Markle shared in the Instagram video on Monday regarding the name change.
“Limited” her. There’s no mention of the trademark issues that required her to pivot.
And no evidence that the self-proclaimed duchess of domesticity truly possesses a unique talent for cooking, entertaining, and decorating. We only have her force-feeding this image to us.
It feels like she’s been ringing the dinner bell for a year, yet bringing nothing to the feast.
Honestly, it’s disrespectful to the genuine lifestyle experts who persevered through chopping, baking, crafting, and grouting to achieve great success. Figures like Ina Garten, Martha Stewart, and Joanna Gaines developed their skills — through running a well-regarded food shop, catering business, and home-flipping enterprise, respectively — before they ever became brands.
They cultivated loyal followings through hard work, distinctive aesthetics, and the undeniable strength of their personalities. In each case, the brand evolved only after proving its viability.
Even Gwyneth Paltrow transitioned from Hollywood star to Goopy diva because she genuinely embraced the woo-woo lifestyle she ultimately marketed to enthusiasts, I mean people.
Meanwhile, Markle, the self-absorbed celebrity, continues to insist she’s destined to be the next big sensation. So far, she hasn’t shown us anything convincing. She seems to believe we’ll all rush to buy what she’s marketing.
If she ever gets around to actually having something to sell (beyond royal family secrets, which she and her husband seem quite adept at sharing!)
So far, there have been no samples of her jam at the Montecito farmers market, no images of production or sourcing, no recent impromptu videos of her cooking dinner or decorating for festive occasions, no enchanting moments in her home.
Only photographs of unopened jam jars — Meghan’s saccharine specialty — shared by a select group of her affluent acquaintances.
Before the duchess acquired her royal title — which she ensured to retain despite leaving the family that came with it — Markle was a television actress with a blog where she raved about basic essentials and nominated Serena Williams for the ice-bucket challenge. What exactly qualifies her as an expert?
But Markle doesn’t just need a rebrand for her jam and dog biscuits. She requires a personal transformation as well.
Last month, she was labeled a “disaster tourist” for strolling through the remnants of a devastated LA neighborhood. This followed a scathing Vanity Fair exposé where former employees claimed her controlling and bullying demeanor drove them into therapy.
This swift turnaround suggests that perhaps she’s listening or merely panicking. In the past week, she has made attempts to appear spontaneous and genuine — posting a Valentine’s Day video of her cutting strawberries into heart shapes and preparing breakfast with her son, Archie.
Whether this latest attempt to create a positive impression will succeed remains to be seen. Her new Netflix show, “With Love, Meghan,” launches on November 4.
