Meghan Markle.Photo: Chris Jackson/Getty
Meghan Markle’s podcast is back.
After ahiatusin releasing new episodes ofArchetypesfollowing the death ofQueen Elizabethon Sept. 8, Spotify dropped the latest edition of the Duchess of Sussex’s podcast on Tuesday.
However, Meghan admitted that she wasn’t aware of the prejudiced stigmas many Asian women are forced to navigate until years later, pointing to the problematic portrayals often seen on the silver screen.
“This toxic stereotyping of women of Asian descent… this doesn’t just end once the credits roll,” she continued.
Margaret Cho; Lisa Ling.Getty (2)
Welcoming Cho to break down the “dragon lady” trope, the 53-year-old actress, activist and comedian said the archetype stems from the “fantasy of Orientalism.”
“It’s similar to the femme fatale… a woman who is beautiful and deadly. Because we can’t just be beautiful. We have to have, like it has to come at a cost and it’s kind of like, evil queen adjacent. But it’s also so pinned to this idea that Asianness is an inherent threat. That our foreignness is somehow ‘gonna getcha,’ " Cho said. “The mystery and the exoticism of it is part of it. And unfortunately, that trope has really stuck to film, but also to Asian-American women or Asian women.”
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“I never saw Asian people in them, and so I never felt visible. I never felt seen anywhere. And then later, I guess, I started to go into silent films, and I started to realize, ‘Oh, this is actually like an archetype, this archetype of the Dragon Lady,’ " she said of her experience watching early Asian-American movie stars like Anna May Wong.
Ling, 49, also spoke to the lack of representation she saw on the small screen, revealing that it was a driving force for her to go into journalism.
“She still is just the symbol of elegance and intelligence and, and grace. And she really allowed me to know what was possible,” Ling added. “She was the only Asian person on a national stage. And so I thought that this would be my only pathway.”
Breaking tradition with episodes past,Archetypes' next guest was not revealed.
The mourning period forQueen Elizabeth’s family extended until one week after the late monarch’s funeral, which took place on Sept. 19. Since then, members of the royal family havereturned to carrying out normal duties.
Last week, Spotify made another adjustment toannounce the return date, writing: “Regularly scheduled episodes will resume Tuesday, October 4.”
Two days after the first episode dropped,Archetypesbecame the number one podcastin the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and Canada on Spotify’s international charts.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.Phil Noble-WPA Pool/Getty
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“I also have loads of regrets about not asking her so many more things,” Mike said, recalling “having nervousness when you get that lucky seat of being sat next to her.”
“What would you ask her now if you could?” co-host Alex Payne asked.
“Just going back through history and everything she’s possibly seen — 15 prime ministers, I don’t know how many presidents. To go through everything,” Mike reflected. Alluding to the incredible pressure of the royal role, which the Queen performed for 70 years, he added, “When she’s meeting dictators, she has to stay neutral, she has to perform her duty.”
source: people.com
