It’s no surprise to anyone that the Duchess of Sussex is more than just her royal title. A former actress, Meghan Markle moved on from show business to embracing her responsibilities towards the royal household, to finally establishing another name for herself. She now has a podcast called “Archetypes”, where she sits down and discusses with several women the different tags that society has forced upon them over the years, in their various professions.
In the spirit of World Mental Health Day, which was celebrated on October 10th, 2022, Markle broke down the tags of ‘crazy’ and ‘abnormal’, shining light upon the realities of depression, and how we as a society need to stop distrusting each other’s emotions. In the sixth episode of her podcast, titled “The Decoding of Crazy with Deepika Padkone, Jenny Slate and Constance Wu,” Markle understands two different perspectives of what it feels to be called “different,” and the stigmas attached to mental health and illnesses.
The stigmas relating to mental health go back decades, and some of its traces still remain. Women, especially from different walks of life, are subjected to numerous tags which demean and target them in society, which ultimately sends out the message that “it’s not okay to be different.” In her podcast, Markle talks about these harsh labels with three powerful female figures who have successfully made their mark in the world and continue to work towards making the world more aware of hidden issues. She also shares her own experience, and how she took a step towards taking care of her mental health, amidst conversations with Aparna Nacherla and Dr. Nadine Burke-Harris.
Markle has an in-depth conversation with actress Constance Wu, who has fought her own battles with her mental health. Wu recounts certain instances, dating back to the renewal of her show “Fresh Off the Boat,” to which she had a strong reaction on Twitter. After a number of experiences with sexual harassment, she found herself to be in a very weak state, vulnerable to everything. She kept her horrors of abuse within herself, which ultimately led to an outburst on social media, 6 years later. Together, Wu and Markle decode the repercussions of repressing feelings because of the fear of judgment. Society has not allowed us to feel raw emotion, and embrace ourselves when we feel down. Wu was told to be “okay” as she would bring shame upon the film fraternity, especially the Asian-American community of actors. She says that it’s unacceptable to be expected to repress constantly, and never give importance to one’s mental health. Pressures from the industry, familial obligations, and judgements led Wu to make a mistake she can never forget, but has given her a reason to advocate and spread awareness about how integral it is that we take mental health seriously.
On the other hand, Markle also sits down with Bollywood actress and model, Deepika Padukone, as she shares her experience with depression. Padukone was at the peak of her career when she felt this wave of emptiness surround her, and she found it hard to breathe one day. She talks about life feeling meaningless, and how this phase seemed to have no end. She emphasizes on the failure to understand these mental illnesses, which stems from the inability to identify them in the first place. Padukone also narrates instances from her life which led her to realize that most individuals run away from understanding their mental illnesses, treating their minds as separate from their bodies. Today, Padukone is the founder of “The Live, Love, Laugh Foundation,” and a strong advocate of mental health awareness.
Meghan Markle, Constance Wu, and Deepika Padukone are just a few of the many people spreading awareness about our mental health. Being in the 21st century, we still face societal stigmas related to mental health. At the same time, however, there has been progress. People are being educated. Systems are changing. Those who are struggling are getting the help they need. With each passing year, we continue to bring out individuals who give most individuals the strength they need to walk out of their phases of darkness, tough but willing to fight.