Meghan Markle’s fairytale romance wasn’t all fun and games.
The Duchess of Sussex, 41, noticed some double standards as soon as she started dating Prince Harry in 2016, she explained on Tuesday in the first episode of her “Archetype” podcast with guest Serena Williams.
“I can’t remember ever personally feeling the negative connotation behind the word”
“ambitious” until I started dating my current husband,” Markle told listeners.
“Apparently ambition is something terrible, terrible for a woman. That is, according to some,” she continued. “Since I’ve felt the negativity behind it, it’s… [been] really hard not to feel it.”
The “Deal or No Deal” alumnus noted that she “can’t miss it either, in the millions of girls and women who regularly make themselves smaller – so much smaller.”
Williams agreed with Markle and spoke to the “Suits” alum about the double standards she has experienced as a female athlete over the years.
In particular, the Grand Slam champion, who announced her retirement from tennis earlier this month, detailed her match in the 2004 US Open quarterfinals against Jennifer Capriati.
At that point, her ball was continuously called out of bounds despite being in the lines, leading to an argument with the ref.
The 40-year-old tennis pro was called “aggressive” and accused of “meltdowns”, while men in similar situations were considered “passionate” players.
Williams said she “didn’t deserve that treatment,” explaining how she lost herself.
“I remember playing in Australia years, years later, [and] I just didn’t have the Serena in me because I was scared,” she recalls. “I was afraid to be Serena because of all the experiences I’ve had.
“I ended up losing a game because I was afraid to challenge or be myself,” Williams continued. “I can’t win by being someone else, I have to win to be Serena.”
As moms, she and Markle are now also familiar with double standards in parenting.
“The [difference] between how men and women are treated after having children is
so, so real,” said Markle, the mother of Archie, 3, and Lilibet, 1. “I felt it.”
Reflecting on the 2019 fire in her then 4-month-old son’s nursery, the actress explained that despite being “shaken” by the incident and left “in tears”, she had to pretend everything was okay at a royal engagement.
“Part of humanizing and breaking through these labels and these archetypes and these boxes that we’re put in is to have some understanding of the human moments behind the scenes that people may not be aware of and to give each other a break. . ‘ said Markle.
Filling in, Williams added that no one really knows what goes on behind the scenes as she tries to balance her career with her 4-year-old daughter Olympia, who she shares with husband Alexis Ohanian.
“I would drop everything I had to do for Olympia at any time,” Williams said. “[In the] I would leave in the middle of a Grand Slam final if I had to.”