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"I'm writing as bad as I can": Meg's email interview with Michelle Obama

If the people at Vogue UK were very angry at Meghan Markle - she has, after all, been working with them since January, and must have thrown at least one or two teacups at editorial assistants during all that time - their attempt at revenge might be the newly-published interview with Michelle Obama.

The revenge would be not editing it.

The text that was released today is breathless, giddy, and overstuffed. In particular, Meg's intro makes her sound like a moron.

In formulating the content of the Forces for Change issue, I knew that I wanted to create a magazine that would speak not just to where we are, but to where we hope to be. In doing so, I knew we needed to both open and close strong. Like a beautiful meal: the first bite sets the tone and the final spoonful leaves you satiated, smiling, and sometimes (if you’re dining under the direction of a forward-thinking chef) even inspired. So how could I bring this issue to its logical conclusion? How could I meet that very lofty self-imposed goal?

The answer, of course, was an interview with Michelle Obama, America's most media-friendly First Lady.

Michelle does fine

Michelle still has a book to sell, plus some Netflix series coming up, so she did the minimum required to keep the peace with Vogue UK and with what may be common PR contacts.

She wrote some nice responses via email, or her assistant did, to Meg's insipid questions.

"What advice do you give your daughters?" "What has motherhood taught you?" "What advice would you give your 15-year-old self?"

Somewhat speechless

Too late, Meg herself seems to have realized that these were questions that could have been used to interview Pat Nixon in a 1973 issue of Good Housekeeping.

Meg writes:

What was sent back to me...left me somewhat speechless. A few “simple questions” (which she could have answered with a sentence or two) were returned to me as a thoughtful, reflective and beautifully curated narrative – a gentle reminder not of how but of why she has become such a globally respected public figure.

I share all this with you as a disclaimer of sorts: had I known Michelle would be so generous in making this a comprehensive interview my questions would have been lengthier, more probing, more engaging. I would have called her and included the banter on these pages – the laughs and sighs and ping-pong of dialogue as I chimed in. 

I guess that's what "somewhat speechless" sounds like in Meg's world. There, speechlessness is very wordy; if I didn't know she had other sources of income, I might think she was getting paid by the word.

What a good editor does

Speaking as someone who works in the media business, I can testify that everyone needs an editor, including me.

A good editor often makes text much better than it could have otherwise been: Maxwell Perkins was supposedly the real genius behind F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemmingway, and Kafka would have remained an obscure insurance clerk if it weren't for Max Brod.

I am guessing that Meg thought she didn't need an editor (except for spellchecking), and it was a cruel Vogue UK employee who let her have her way.

Someone who cared about Meg wouldn't have let her end her presentation of her email pen pal like this:

To my former First Lady, and now friend, Michelle - thank you. 


You can read the full interview here:

https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/michelle-obama-duchess-of-sussex-interview-2019



Comments

Girl with a Hat said…
ha ha Nutty. You are truly a journalist, and a very naughty one at that!
Anonymous said…
Excellent, Nutty, excellent. MM has outdone herself with the insipidness of it all. She also inspires here: "You sent me the kindest message on Mother’s Day this year. What has motherhood taught you?". In 16 words she manages to brag and mention herself. Not bad for someone who generally can neither speak nor write concisely.
Anonymous said…
"I would have called her and included the banter on these pages – the laughs and sighs and ping-pong of dialogue as I chimed in."

Uh-huh. "Chimed in = never StFU"

Also, see "marklelies", Meg's Vogue Cover, 15 women... post
hardyboys said…
Gag me. Ugggghhhhh she is so fake...but nutty what's wrong with the final send off where she says "to my former first lady....what's wrong with that?
Girl with a Hat said…
well, she is a member of the BRITISH royal family, so rubbing in the fact that she considers herself very much an American, while living off the British taxpayer (to whatever extent you can accept but her security and status are still derived from the British) is a major faux pas. Secondly, she makes it all about herself, again. Thirdly, she only seems to acknowledge Michelle's marital status as her claim to fame, rather than all of the initiatives that Michelle Obama has started. Finally, it's just cliché
This is hysterical. She writes like a pre-teen.
Now! said…
What bugged me more was the “friend” part. That’s your friend? Someone you’ve met once and exchanged 2 emails with?

Meg has a highly superficial definition of friendship.

And I doubt Michelle calls Meg a friend.
abbyh said…
I would have called her.

But she was not called. We do not read that a thank you call was made instead of the gushy I would have (flowers and butterflies). I don't think she had a phone number to make a call.

For me, I think one difference between an acquaintance and friend is that I can call a friend. My mother phrased it once as some people you feel you can continue the conversation even though years have passed. Some are still on acquaintance level even when I do have their phone number (I may not feel I have spent enough time with you to let you in closer). And a real, close friend is: can I ask you to pick me up go to the airport at 3 am or do you trust me with your house key?
Humor Me said…
This is embarrassing - she does come across like a teenage, managing to insert herself four times in the opening paragraph.
Sets up the interview as if one to one over lunch (I don't care about your tummy, but it makes me wonder if this was written pre- or post partum), then spoils the image by telling the background of the entire piece - an email (an impersonal, answer the question email).

What was the editor in chief of Vogue thinking??
Aquagirl said…
Don’t forget about her mentioning her ever-growing belly while eating tacos.
Aquagirl said…
+1 @ Nutty. That bugged the shit out of me!
Unknown said…
Can someone explain to me , what message an adolescent teenage girl receives and perceives about chemically straightening hair?
Mom Mobile said…
Just made the mistake of reading that vomit-inducing interview. I hope Michelle Obama had the decency to roll her eyes at MM's over-the-top gushing. Seriously. It's embarrassing.
ColleenS said…
Ping pong of dialogue?? I think she would have gotten a swift ball to the face every time she tried to interrupt with her instagram-type comments.

Hashtag, I'm not a fan.
SwanSong said…
Michelle Obama gave Markle what Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis called the PBO — the “polite brush off”. If Michelle truly respected or liked Markle she would have either flown to London or had Markle fly to the US to conduct this interview IN PERSON. THAT is how an editor’s interview is done. In person. An email interview as the cover story with a marketing budget as large as Condé Naste’s is an absolute joke. I wouldn’t pay one penny to buy this issue or read it online.
SDJ said…
"(if you’re dining under the direction of a forward-thinking chef)" - WTF??

Who dines under the DIRECTION of a chef, and a forward-thinking one at that?!!

Last time I dined under the direction of a chef, it was my Mom telling me to clean my plate or no dessert (that was the forward-thinking part)

This just illustrates that she stills lives in an instagram world. Thinking that a fine meal can only occur when it is provided by the latest "in" chef, at a restaurant with a waiting list. Look at me everyone!!! Aren't you impressed/jealous????

Plus, Meghan said that MO responses were "returned to me as a thoughtful, reflective and beautifully CURATED narrative" So, so, so pretentious.

She is still under the illusion that she is more famous than the family she married into. Someone needs to clip her wings.
Mom Mobile said…
@SDJ, I took the reference to the chef as a public jab to her chef ex.

And also, so typical of MM to refer to Michelle Obama as "kind" - twice!!! It's like MM thinks if she talks about how kind everyone is then people will think she is kind too. UGH!

I want my life back. What started out as entertaining royal gossip is now making me angry. I just can't quit this sh*t show!
hardyboys said…
Omg I see what you mean. She is so nauseating she reminds me of a pretentious white Beverley hills obnoxious clueless girl. Samantha doesn't even have to write that book now all she has to do is read the thousands of comments biweekly and that is her nourishment. I'm sure Harry has to cringe if he can read such big words. Poor Doeia and Thomas their daughter is being roasted in a daily basis
Wut said…
The editor's letters are equally amusing.
https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/edward-enninful-editors-letter-september-2019-issue
https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/meghan-markle-editors-letter-september-2019-issue
Wut said…
And like clockwork Piers Morgan has a rant
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7298003/PIERS-MORGAN-Meghans-shamelessly-hypocritical-Vogue-stunt.html
Charlie said…
Most times these days, when you see an interview "celebrity by celebrity", for example, they had a conversation on phone. Yeah, celebrity interviewer is not editor most times.

But an interview by mail, it's weird. On the phone you're at least talking straight to the person, and by mail, how are we supposed to know who responded on these questions, was it Michelle herself.
hardyboys said…
It has to be embarrassing for her at the BRF family events where Andrew and Anne have to be snickering at her. She just made will and kat
tes marriage stronger
KayeC said…
OMG! that is the most ridiculous line! @ColleenS but yours was hilarious!!
TTucker said…
In that ending, the placement of the comas and the hyphen also show she's struggling with punctuation ... and the "dining under the direction of a forward-thinking chef" seems a clin d'oeil to Cory, her ex.
Charlie said…
Honestly speaking I wouldn't take Piers Morgan seriously, he's clearly sexist and conservative at least. Like this is his quote from this article you shared "Yet of course her list excludes the planet’s entire male population.

So it’s not actually inclusive at all, and nor is her message that only women can change the world." Boo-hoo, cry me a river, little white boy, got oppressed by a dumb fashion magazine cover. He clearly uses "inclusivity" as a dig at Meghan, and not in a good way. If he wanted to do it right,he could say why didn't she use women from different professions, or maybe more activists that actresses and models, but yeah, no male on a cover, entire male population is left and oppressed by a feminists.

I'd like to see more actual 'woke' (at least) people, who really believe in feminism and diversity, criticizing Meghan, and not another rightist, we have enough of them deciding our lives in politics, it's enough.
Fifi LaRue said…
Markle publishing the three questions she presented to Mrs. Obama was absolutely revealing as to the lack of depth of Markle's intelligence. Markle's level of writing is comparable to what 3rd graders (eight to nine years of age) in a 90% poverty level school would produce for a beginning writing assignment. A good teacher would have asked for more information and details in the questions. Those questions, combined with Markle interrupting Mrs. Obama a year or more ago during a book tour, yeah, that "friendship" is one-sided in someone's imagination. It's doubtful anyone in the Obama family is going to engaging in "ping-pong" conversation with Markle, if they can possibly avoid it.

It took Markle seven months to come up with that drivel? Someone at Vogue, or more likely several persons, really let Markle hang herself with her own stupidity and arrogance.
marjorie said…
I cannot imagine any chef DIRECTING MegAntoinette in a dining experience. "OFF with their heads!"
Aquagirl said…
I actually thought that PM’s article was well-written, and, more importantly, the gloves are off and she’s getting consistently slammed by the press. I hope that it doesn’t let up.
Aquagirl said…
Nah, nothing embarrasses her. That’s part of the problem.
Girl with a Hat said…
I'm intrigued by some feminists idea of feminism. Don't get me wrong, I consider myself a feminist and a humanist, and I practice what I preach. I work in a male dominated profession, and am often the only woman in my department at work. I have worked with blue collar workers under my supervision, and have been sexually harassed by co-workers and underlings. However, I don't consider myself a victim, but a pioneer. I still enjoy doing activities considered feminine, and so does my husband. He enjoys cooking and doing some of the housework. As he is fussy about cleanliness in the washroom, I keep out of his way and allow him to scrub to his heart's content.

Some feminists, however, believe that they should be allowed a privileged position, which isn't earned by merit or talent, but simply by political correctness. This is the type of feminism that Meghan adheres to, and many of her followers as well.
Louise said…
Mom Mobile: I know what you mean about this topic taking up too much space in our lives. I know that she shouldn't bother me so much, but it infuriates me to see this sociopath succeed, while most media and esp. the RF do nothing.
Now! said…
Meg's is really something.

"There is one caveat for you to remember: this is a magazine. It’s still a business, after all. I share that to manage expectations for you: there will be advertising sections that are requisite for every issue, so while I feel confident that you’ll feel my thumbprint on most pages, please know that there are elements that just come with the territory. The overall sentiment I hope you’ll find, however, will be one of positivity, kindness, humour and inclusivity."

She apologizes for the advertising? The advertising that pays the bills? WTH?

Also, Ed Enninful approved that? Ads pay his salary. If I were a Vogue UK advertiser, I would be making a terse phone call right now.
Now! said…
Since we're talking politics, there's one point that Piers didn't make: "Forces for Change" doesn't necessarily mean that the change is going to go in the direction you want it to go.

I mean, Brexit is change. The Chinese Army troops that will be rolling over the Hong Kong protesters any day now are change. The typhoid breaking out on the streets of Los Angeles because there are so many homeless living in encampments is change.

It's more important that you define where you want "change" to take you. And wooly words like "kindness" and "inclusivity" aren't very useful, because they mean different things to different people.

But Meg is not a serious political thinker, and neither is Enninful. They don't have to be, but then maybe they should write about what they know.
Louise said…
Thank you, Mischi.

As a woman who achieved success in my field on my own merits, I believe that feminism means a qualified woman should be given an equal oportunity to succeed.

I don't believe that unqualified women should be given any advantages only because they are women.

We have a huge problem in Canada right now because of our self proclaimed "feminist' prime minister, Justin Trudeau.

He has been giving advantages to unqualified women at various levels of government in order to prove his "wokeness", and this is leading to a backlash from men.

At the same time, he recently fired a couple of qualified female members of Parliament because they actually tried to take a stand that differed from his.
SDJ said…
Clearly, she thinks her fans are expecting a magazine that is 100% MM/no filler!! Just shows further delusion on her part as most people who read magazines are not surprised to find adverts.

methinks that the truer statement is that MM herself was surprised to see that there were ads. Probably feeling a touch offended that they made room for something other than "her thumbprint".

And I agree, advertisers should be having a word with Enninful. Especially if sales are subpar.
Louise said…
Sociopaths feel no guilt or shame.
Louise said…
Her posts always contain incorrect punctuation marks. That's how it was determined that she was writing her own Instagram comments.
Louise said…
I seem to recall reading that $mirlke tried to go backstage to meet Mrs Obama when the latter was in London, but that Mrs Obama brushed her off because she was too busy.

Anybody else remember reading this?
Now! said…
Markle reportedly did make it backstage for a very brief encounter. Michelle was on a tight schedule in London and didn't have more than a few minutes to spend with her. I'm not sure if this is the "chicken taco" meeting Meg refers to in her article.
Now! said…
Bad punctuation is the kind of thing you pay an editor to fix. But Markle doesn't seem to want to take anyone's advice - not on fashion, not on protocol, and apparently not on punctuation.
Now! said…
I think that if sales are subpar, we'll never know it. You can always boost circulation by giving issues away to hospitals, senior homes, etc.

If paid circulation is audited, she could always just buy a few thousand. No different than buying Instagram bots.
Girl with a Hat said…
I do believe that women should be encouraged to think of careers in all fields. Too often, people limit women's opportunities by telling them something is not a field for women.

Young men have issues as well with dropping out of school. They should be helped as well.

That's it.

Trudeau is a very unintelligent person. I know people who studied with him at university.

KnitWit said…
Dreadful drivel. What a silly, shallow women. She us the worst kind of self proclaimed "feminists". What an insult to modern women.
KnitWit said…
Someone on cdan claimed that MM has a new Twitter.

https://twitter.com/M_Mount_Win

Who knows. Sipping fancy coffee, cooking free range fru fru for the hubby, a baby that sleeps all the time.... Curious about one post, the Mount Win got super good news..... Another bubbs?


Louise said…
What message does any woman receive from Jane Fonda's plastic face?
Louise said…
I've actually met Trudeau. Nice enough fellow to know socially, but not to have as the leader of your country.

His "feminist" wife (who hasn't worked for a living for probably ten years), who pretends to be all kumbya, is a social climbing b**ch. She talks in meaningless word salads, just like $mirkle. They share a close friend in Jessica Mulroney.
KnitWit said…
Fru fru bacon, thought they were vegan
Louise said…
The reference to the chicken taco lunch makes no sense, otherwise. Because clearly they only communicated by email for the interview.

I suspect that $mirkles was scarfing down a chicken taco as she wrote her email questions to Mrs Obama..

Either that or the editor didn't notice the inconsistency in her fairy tales.
Louise said…
"It was in early January, on a cold and blustery London day........"

From Wikipedia:

"It was a dark and stormy night" is an often-mocked and parodied phrase[1] considered to represent "the archetypal example of a florid, melodramatic style of fiction writing",[1] also known as purple prose.
hildarumpole said…
She is Very Serious About Her Very Important Causes and Being Kind. Meghan Markle is a silly woman. Every time she engages publicly, she manages to take a pratfall into a banana cream pie, all while patting herself on the back for a job well done. This escapade with Vogue and Michelle Obama perfectly encapsulates all that is The Markle.
SwanSong said…
Michelle Obama gave Markle what Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis called the PBO — the “polite brush off”. If Michelle truly respected or liked Markle she would have either flown to London or had Markle fly to the US to conduct this interview IN PERSON. THAT is how an editor’s interview is done. In person. An email interview as the cover story with a marketing budget as large as Condé Naste’s is an absolute joke. I wouldn’t pay one penny to buy this issue or read it online.
Hikari said…
The only notion more amusing than Smeaghan as a 'humanitarian' is her self-identifying as a 'feminist'. This is a woman who has shamelessly exploited her own sex appeal for cash in attaching herself as arm candy to wealthy men. After using at least two husbands and a live-in boyfriend as meal tickets and sources of free lodging, travel, introductions and career advancement, she started a side hustle as a prostitute while her day job(s) consisted of her jiggling T&A in skimpy clothing on TV. Through these connections she then proceeded to sleep her way into the middle of the Royal family. She didn't embrace her biracial heritage until it was expedient, and has yet to embrace any of her 'natural' attributes.

To be perfectly honest, I have more respect for streetwalkers. They are at least honest about using their bodies for money.

She can spell 'feminist' and that's as close as Rachel Meghan will ever be to that state.
Hikari said…
Based on everything I'm reading, Ed Enninful may have signed the death warrant of his job as editor in chief after giving Megsy this little vanity project. Which took nearly *8 months* to complete? Nearly as long as it took her to create 'Archie' . .bwaahahahahaa!

A truly woke person could have really done a lot of meaningful humanitarian outreach in 8 months. MM sent some emails and chose some really ugly thumbnail shots for a lame cover. That's truly workin' it, girlfriend. You are so important and influential!! If MM weren't around, I doubt the planet would continue to spin on its axis and that would kill everybody and everything.
Hikari said…
That is why I'm so thrilled that they've actually let her do this. How much monologue material this is going to be good for . . .!

I can't want to see the Fraudmore spread, hahaha!
Anonymous said…
"Who dines under the DIRECTION of a chef, and a forward-thinking one at that?!!"

I thought maybe she was reminiscing about the good old days with Cory, or maybe she's dined under a lot of chef's while taking direction. With MM, it's just hard to parse it.
Anonymous said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said…
Every woman I know who is a "feminist" doesn't feel the need to stop and virtue-signal -- she's busy doing it and getting it done. However, I have noticed that some posers use the word to validate themselves when they're actually nothing of the sort. MM is the antithesis of feminist, but throwing the word around makes her sound, to some, as if she is, and besides, it's one of the polysyllabic words she knows, so WTH, right? I mean, how much do you really learn under an accomplished chef who's giving all of the directions.
Anonymous said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
50 and counting said…
Facetime or a video call would have been acceptable.
Anonymous said…
That's why it's so easy to spot her new hidden Twitter accounts. #1 her NPD ensures she provides clues to her identity. She wants to be recognized, no she needs to be recognized. #2 her writing style is so schtick it's easy to spot. There's no mistaking this syntax.
SDJ said…
Exacty Elle! Nouveau in the worst sense of the word.
I really, really, really hope she gets a come-to-Jesus talking-to at Balmoral, under the direction of a forward-thinking Monarch!
Anonymous said…
I'm still stuck on Meghan's Mirror on the cover. Talk about Freudian. It's right up there with her: overuse of colons.
Ann Christensen said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said…
And not that it matters, but chef's above should be plural not possessive. Snarking faster than I type lol.
SwampWoman said…
So, you wish to prevent Piers Morgan from having an opinion because he is male (as is roughly 50% of the population and a considerably larger proportion of the population in places where selective female infant genocide/abortion is practiced) and Conservative (wait, isn't that what Boris is?) Are there any other reasons that he isn't allowed to have an opinion? How about not being able to have an opinion because he may have a non-English ancestor? OMG, has anybody had his DNA checked to make sure that he is actually genetically native to the area? Did his great great great many times removed grandmother consort with Vikings or Frenchmen?
SwampWoman said…
When it comes to Meghan's prose, the Weird Al video/song "Word Crimes" comes strongly to mind. At least she didn't ask anybody if they were a tree, what kind of tree would they be.

I consider everybody on this site to be a gifted writer. Sure, we have the occasional misspelled word or failed punctuation because of posting on phones or other small devices. However, we are busily going about our daily lives and quickly checking in, writing a quick paragraph, then dashing off. We spend a grand total of maybe five minutes on our reply. She allegedly spent eight freakin' months on this.

Can you imagine the quality of the article if Nutty or Hikari had taken eight months?
Miss_Christina said…
I'm just.......at a loss. A complete loss. I've written better articles in my fourth grade pocket diary. And what on Earth was Michelle Obama thinking? I'm not really a fan of hers but I know she's smarter than to take seriously Megsy's yearbook style idiot questions. She must have had an aide write the answers because I can't see her wasting her time on that crap.
SwishyFishy said…
@Mom Mobile, I completely agree with you about the inability to quit this shit show. I'm equal parts angered and disgusted...with Meghan, with Harry, with the royal family and mostly with myself for investing so much in this crazy, inexplicable, irritating narrative that Meghan has graciously curated for us.

I think my issues stem from being exposed to many, many narcissistic people in my life who have sucked up all the oxygen in the room, been praised to the moon and back again all the while I and a few others knew it was just charismatic, narcissistic BS that they were coasting on. I have been screwed over, ghosted and shat upon by many a Meghan-like person in my life. I dislike them for the pain they have caused me. The world seems so unfair to me that the biggest assholes get the most success in our society (I'm looking at you Kardashians). I have been raised to be a good, kind (there's that word again), decent, honest, hard working person, but I live in a world where being a piece of shit is the only way to get ahead or be recognized as (pseudo) valuable. I want to see Meghan fail. I want to see her fall off her sugar pedestal. I need to see that there is a healthy system of checks and balances, of fairness in this world that if you put out evil crap, it will come back to you eventually. And most sad of all, I know that this desire to see her hoisted by her own petard speaks to a flaw in my own character, one that has never healed from the torments of the past.
Unknown said…
Oh, please. Shoot me, now.
Louise said…
Thank you, Swampwoman. I was about to post the same thing.

I didn't realize that those who lean conservative were not entitled to an opinion.

Newsflash: It is this type of thinking that drives more and more people into the conservative camp. They are tired of being told what to think.
Jne said…
Im not an englih major/expert, but shouldn’t her statement have read “advertsing sections that are A requisite for every issue” ?
Her writing style is so nauseating, pretentious, and millenialish. The continual use of ‘through the lens’ , (same phrase she used when describing her first meeting with the queen and seeing HM as harrys granny), forward thinking, authenticity/authentic (if i hear that term again i may puke) , curated ( another overused pukey word), etc.
SwishyFishy said…
Zero sympathy for Doria and Thomas. They created this damaged, nightmarish person and launched her into the world with no responsibility or accountability.
SwishyFishy said…
The irony in all this is that Meghan herself is a merching fanatic. Everything she wears and touches is advertisement revenue for her. Even the Gucci dress, which can barely be seen in one of the images Vogue provided, ended up on Meghan's Mirror within an hour of the photo being posted. How could they have possibly known from the tiny glimpse of clothing what she was wearing?
Lilalee said…
Finally downloaded Chrome to leave a post and hopefully it works. Has anyone noticed how she signed off on the article? “The Duchess of Sussex”. Not “Meghan, Duchess of Sussex”. Even Diana would just sign her given name sans title on anything that was not considered royal type documents. I find that very pretentious of Meghan as if her title is above all else.
SwishyFishy said…
Meghan isn't a feminist. She's an exploitative opportunist. You know who I think of as a feminist icon? The Queen. Think about it. She has gone through 67 years on the throne, never gave up her power to a man, outlasted countless PMs, and always behaved with femininity and decorum in the process, i.e. she didn't have to dress or act like a man in order to consolidate her powers. No, she wasn't the best mother on the planet due to her commitments, but I've known many women that failed in that arena who had to deal with far less. She's tough as nails and never shirked her responsibility or blamed anyone else when things didn't go her way. I respect her for that.
Ozmanda said…
Sparkle's attempt looks to me like someone whose idea of what journalism is about comes from watching all seasons of "Sex and the City".

Piers Morgan may be a arseclown, but he still has valid points, and I find it hard to believe Michelle Obama would even bother talking to that vapid grifter.
Lurking said…
These three words, written about Michelle Obama, "beautifully curated narrative," speak volumes. Put another way, "she didn't include anything negative that would tarnish her polished image." How about we talk to real women who aren't airbrushed to within an inch of their lives and know a thing or two about failure, getting back up to try again and again, not letting obstacles get in their way. The thing I hate most about this cover is many, if not most of these women, started their lives in a position of privilege or have use the wealth, connections, and name recognition of men to get where they are.

"I would have called her and included the banter on these pages – the laughs and sighs and ping-pong of dialogue as I chimed in. "

So why didn't Smeg call her? "As I chimed in," she thinks she has something relevant to say. This is vomitous. She sure thinks so very highly of herself.
SwishyFishy said…
I was surprised by the banal, superficial questions as well. When I first saw the article, I thought these questions/answers were some kind of preview, leading to more meatier topics within an actual interview that explored deeper, more pressing issues that tied into her theme of "game changers". I don't even classify this as a proper interview, to be honest. It's too simple minded. Too adolescent and utterly lacking in depth and intrigue. The idea that she created some delusional phone conversation full of witty, erudite banter and knowing sighs of contentment is simply ridiculous. The fact that she thinks that everyone who read Vogue would be enthralled by this simpering fantasy conversation is mental, the height of narcissism. She has no clue how insipid and uninspiring she truly is. The most dangerous thing you can do is start believing in your own (self-created) hype.
SwishyFishy said…
Not to mention that she mainly chose actors and models. What the f^ck? Would it have killed her to actually do some research and find unknown people who are actually making a difference in their part of the world, or even stick to UK citizens, since she seems to show no interest in all things British? It never ceases to amaze me how celebrities think they are so special that they need to lead the world out of self annihilation. Most models and actors never even go to college. Meghan consistently proves how out of touch she is with how people really live.
EFarrell said…
It also should be noted that Salma Hayek, one of the women featured, is married to François-Henri Pinault, CEO of Kering, which owns Gucci, so wearing that Gucci dress was calculated to say the least. Maybe the Pinault’s will be donating to the “foundation”. This is all an exercise of rich elites scratching each others “woke” backs.
abbyh said…
So one of the latest from the DM is that she has a deep fear of living a shallow life. Comments are pretty much as one might expect. The highest rated are talking about how Vogue is pretty much a great example of a shallow life in every way. The lowest are defending her but there aren't that many of them. The printed tide is turning.
Suzanne Wilson said…
"Manage expectations for you"? "Feel my thumbprint"??
SwampWoman said…
Hunh. I hadn't noticed that she used the royal title at the sign off. That may be due to the fact that my eyes were rolled so far back in my head that I wasn't seeing much other than the top of my skull by the end of the article. Feminists do NOT define themselves by their husband's title/position.
SwampWoman said…
@SwishyFishy, well said! I strongly agree.
Anonymous said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said…
"“It was in early January, over a steaming cup of mint tea, we teased through how one can shine light in a world filled with seemingly daily darkness." I just read that for the first time. I may have to pluck out my own damned eyes now.
Lottie said…
And wearing Gucci was ironic in itself (the icing on the wobbly, badly decorated cake) considering last year they had products that were considered racial

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/07/business/gucci-blackface-adidas-apologize.ht
Now! said…
And apparently they had only one cup to share between them. Things must be tough at Vogue these days.
Long time lurker here, and I had never planned on commenting. But, this Vogue fiasco is just so tempting! So, here goes...
In my opinion, this whole Vogue debacle gives a lot of insight into MM day to day life. Also, I feel like being really snarky, and she has made it so so obvious. Here are a few things I gather from this whole verbal diarrhoea of her's. Ill break it up in points -

1. MM always seems to be thinking of food! There are so many references to eating/food in editorial article/MO interview intro : Eating chicken tacos while supposedly interviewing (which she later herself backtracks on and clarifies that she emailed her, such a lame move IMO). Having tea, specifically mint tea with Edward during their 1st meeting; she mentions this twice. She also compares this editing gig to eating a "beautiful meal" and goes on to describe the thrill of the 1st bite, and foodgasm from the last bite blah bla.. Also the whole "dining under the direction of a forward thinking chef" bit. (What DOES tht even mean??!!) Whats with the food references and analogies ... She seems so obsessed with food. It seems like the last few months all she basically did was eat, and dream about food. OR, she used the leftover / edited out phrases from her cookbook foreward.
2. She insinuates that she actually had lunch (specifically chicken tacos) while interviewing MO then goes on to debunk that HERSELF towards the end of that para. what it comes across as, is that she was basically vegetating on her couch while eating some very expensive fancy tacos (hence they require a mention!), and she shot off an email to MO's team.

3. She acts surprised that the answers were infact deep, insightful, warm and ofcourse KIND (blurghhh!). It comes across as if she shot an arrow in the dark with sending that email, and never really put much thought into sending some meaningful questions to MO's team. Then when she got answers - long insightful ones that actually portrayed MO as a human, a hardworking woman and caring mother; she was left cursing herself. In my head , i picture this - Like "Damn! i wish i had asked her something intelligent. she actually answered. I should totally have called, why did I ever think MO wouldn't talk to me? I could have been so funny! And we would have laughed, and I could have told her about that one time, when I was at Band camp...Should i call her now? Is it too late? Hmm...Michelle's totally my best friend!" This comes across as insecurity, not humility. and also paints the wrong picture that they actually sat down for lunch at a warm cozy place, and laughed their heads off, and shared the struggles of being a woman in this big bad world.

4. " .... dining under the direction of a forward thinking chef." - Firstly what does it even mean? How does this phrase contribute in any way to the narrative?
In my head it goes something like this - MM originally wanted to have lunch with MO, but MO's team shot the idea down and basically said, "no thanks, boss doesn't do interviews. just send us the list of question by end of day and we'l reply within 10-15 working days." Like MM had totally picked the best restaurant in town, booked table, requested the Michelin star chef to make something fit for Michelle Obama to eat, the chef vetoed her menu choice and insisted on curating his own nano-food menu for THE exhalted Ms. O , and after all that MM got stood up! Michelle didnt turn up, MM didnt have her number and was too nervous to ask why lest she get scolded by MO so she took the micro-food tacos home, put on her Tesco flannel PJs, sat on the couch, rested her Mac on her ever burgeoning belly and wrote an email to MO's team while watching a Queer Eye marathon.

5. She seems to have written such a long monologue, it seems like this whole time this gig is her only "voice". As if she never got to speak at all in the past two months and now she can finally FINALLY say something. So she uses all the catchy phrases, buzzwords, tropes she knows. Its like after every thing, all her life experiences, accolades, world-wide fame (infamy) what she truly truly desires, in the very deepest recesses of her heart is to be a BLOGGER!! Not a writer, not a columnist, but a BLOGGER! of the instagram/thought catalog/mindbodygreen kinds.

Here's my problem with this whole narrative - MM seems to be pushing the idea of the glass being half-empty. Time and again she writes about the so-called ever present darkness invading the world. Firstly, this is NOT Stranger Things! The world isnt actually coming to an end. she seems to convey that people in power/decision makers/people who voice their opinions are Bad Evil Monstors destroying human-kind. And that the regualr common everyday folk are all ignorant, clueless, looking to be delivered from evil.
She wants to be the beacon of light, and she seems to want to pick a fight with anyone and everyone who she perceives to have any sort of power. Unless they are on Instagram, that it. Because the only way , acc to her, that you can be genuine, authentic, kind, generous, inspiring, classy etc is if you appear to be on Insta, if you post Bnw pictures, the only way you can be candid on camera ig you have your back turned to the camera in a picture, if you are a woman of colour, if you talk about fashion being a platform to deliver change etc etc etc.
(Mostly) Every person she has chosen for the issue is outspoken about the cause they promote. "Promote" being the operative word. The relatively unknown women on the list will get lost, forgotten amongst the more glitzy ones.

She could have just as well decided to do a group shot of all the 16 women together, with her somewhere in the picture. A colour shot so their diversity, their individuality, the spark in their eyes could be Obvious and more visible.

She could have also done a behind the scenes shot with the whole editorial team of this issue to go along with her letter. Just being seen with Edward their seems like they have their own secret posse, doesnt make her seem more approachable, down to earth or hands on.
Jen said…
@Elle, I rather think she sat down with a thesaurus while writing and attempted to use all the big words, when simpler would have been better. I've known people like her. Their writing a simple paragraph but every word that COULD be said simpler, has all these big words, that while mean the same thing, just don't make sense. She is constantly trying to make herself sound so much older and more mature, when in fact, she does quite the opposite!
Jen said…
I work in a very male-dominated field. I attended a private university for this field, and the majority of the students were male (it was probably 80-20). I did get an advantage in getting in to this university because I was female, but that's where the advantage ended. I still had to do the work and graduate. Women do not deserve ANYTHING special just because we are female. If we want true equality, we need to stop asking for special treatment in the same breath.
Jen said…
Very good point @SwampWoman......as a self-described feminist, why is MM even using the DoS title? One would think she would find it misogynistic since it came only because of her husband. Also, why would she even use the title? This has NOTHING to do with her royal duties. This woman is no more feminist then the bananas she wrote on.
SwanSong said…
“I’m confident enough that you’ll feel my thumbprint...” Is she delusional? She’s been famous for all of 15 seconds. No one knew who she was before Harry. She left behind no body of substantive acting work, she didn’t have a personality to be typecast against because she was a virtual unknown in Hollywood. The fact that she thinks she’s endeared in our hearts enough to leave a thumbprints is laughable and disturbing.
SwampWoman said…
When my husband dines under the direction of a forward thinking chef, it means that I tell him NO to the carbs, think of his blood sugar!
KayeC said…
Okay, I might get hammered for this but.....my husband started off in a female-dominated field. Don't think for one minute he was not treated the same way by the women he worked with. Any heavy lifting, he'd be the one to do it, and he did not mind, but it did happen (also he was flirted with, or hit on). It goes both ways, I guess is my point. And I am strictly speaking about the workplace. I am all for job by merit and ability, not gender.

I am worried for my boys, is it okay to teach them to be chivalrous? Maybe it's a southern thing, but I want my boys to have manners, and I do teach them to be gentle with girls. Am I wrong? In the words of Blanche Deveroux "I don't want to be treated as your equal. I want to be treated better than you, much much better!" (Not speaking about workplace)
Mom Mobile said…
@swishyfishy, I understand how you feel. It does seem unfair. I was raised by a caregiver who had untreated Borderline Personality Disorder (unable to regulate emotions, verbally, emotionally, physically abusive). Narcissistic PD very often overlaps with Borderline. Not so fun fact: Many therapists avoid treating people with Borderline and Narcissistic PD because they're so difficult to treat and the rate of recovery is so minimal.

It's difficult to feel compassion for people who treat others so poorly and seem to excel in life because of it. I don't consider your character flawed. It's natural to desire some form of justice, even if it comes vicariously through a public fall from grace of a charlatan royal. God knows the Narcissist is incapable of the self-reflection and humility required to heal all the carnage they've left in their wake. They'd rather die than acknowledge the hurt they've caused.

Hugs to you, internet friend.
KayeC said…
@Jen, that was my thought too, she used her thesaurus button on every other word.
Lurking said…
“I’m confident enough that you’ll feel my thumbprint...”

It's pretentious bullshit. The entire thing is pretentious bullshit, narcissistic, trying really hard to come across as intelligent.
Anonymous said…
I'm sure she did, but simple, clean, active voice would have served her better.
I think she is trying to mirror the eloquence of actually eloquent people, but the problem is, she is the person who wrote this, and she is looking into a broken mirror.

I have only read a few sentences of her spew. Is it all this bad?
Anonymous said…
This is from a comment I read on Charlatan Duchess: "I've read M's letter & MO interview for Vogue. As a linguist, professor, & editor, I can pass judgment that she's a really bad writer. Too verbose & flowery that it comes off as pretentious & vain. She's like a student who needs to comply w/ a word count reqt but doesn't make sense. Seriously, not every noun needs an adjective (she doesn't stop at 1 adj). Too many asides also; it's distracting. It's like I'm reading something 'spoken' instead of in writing. She'll definitely fail my class."

I'd add: most nouns don't need an adjective. In some cases, yes ("flowery, saccharine, sycophantic dribble of faux fluff stuff ") to make an exaggerated point, or to describe ("The SoHo Duchess"), etc.

Also, no one got my colon joke, and I specifically did that for @Hikari because she had to look up tossed salad (as did I). Sigh. I guess I didn't shine a light on colons everywhere. I thought you'd feel my thumbprint.
Anonymous said…
Oh, and my use of the colon after "add" was an MM mirror lol.
Wolpertinger said…
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7301321/Prince-Harry-interviewed-Dr-Jane-Goodall-Meghans-edition-British-Vogue.html

His Royal Dumbness... sorry
SwampWoman said…
Nooooooo! I don't want to feel her thumbprint!
SwampWoman said…
Sorry, I got your colon point, but I was too busy shuddering to respond (grin).
Unknown said…
"the laughs and sighs and ping-pong of dialogue as I chimed in."

Does anyone know the word for simultaneously rolling one's eyes, shaking the head and face palming whilst laughing, followed by a heavy dose of second hand embarrassment?

Because that's where I am right now....

I'm a writer, I'm no King or Rowling, but I'm better than MM. She's .... she's just an awful, awful writer.
SwampWoman said…
If somebody at Vogue had only bought that woman a flashlight and her own cup, this whole debacle could have been avoided.
Louise said…
Fun fact: Jane Goodall and Meghan $mirkle used to (or maybe still do) share the same PR firm.

Markus Anderson, $mirkle's pimp, is friends (possibly romantic) with Edward Enninful.

Imagine if they all took the energy involved with creating all these hook ups and used the energy for the greater good and not for self aggrandizement.
Louise said…
She writes as though she knows that no one will dare edit her.

What do $mirkle and Marcus Anderson have on Edward Enninful?

All roads lead back to Soho House.
Lottie said…
I hope MM wrote this when she was totally off her face on magic mushrooms because that is the only good explanation for this wafty, flora filled dribble.
She is so unbearably pretentious, hence the referrals to 'fine food, chefs & dining' because as you know, she is above us peasants, who are still wiping up our plate of baked beans with white bread
She is so insufferable and i wouldn't want to be in her head for half a nano second otherwise i would have to self medicate, which is probably what Prince Harry is doing, just to cope with her
Lottie said…
MM -" It was in early January, on a cold and blustery London day, that I sat down for a cup of tea with British Vogue’s editor-in-chief, Edward Enninful.Though we have several mutual friends, our first encounter had been years in the making, the impetus for which was my asking him to support an organisation I strongly believe in called Smart Works."
* inserts eyeroll

*For your information MM an English person sits down to a pot of tea

*I see she is using the English spelling....it's seems that is the only English thing she has ever grasped
Avery said…
@ColleenS " I think she would have gotten a swift ball to the face ..." My face hurts from laughing. I'm sure she's had many. LOL! I'm reluctant to click on the article link, but I feel it's my duty to be as educated about what she's been slithering around doing so that I can respond with knowledge here.
MaLissa said…
@SwishyFishy well said :) My mother was the same way but she raised 4 children (2 boys and 2 girls) to be respectful, well mannered, colour blind, confident, educated and made no distinction of male/female stereotypes. She and my dad told us "you can do anything you want to do, be anything you want to be, just be true to yourself and treat everyone respectfully."
Avery said…
And she probably believes it. I'm sure Michelle read that and cringed. I would have. (Did actually lol!)
Avery said…
I conduct interviews via live DM's. That way I have the ability to 'ping pong' (lol) and tangent from initial questions to delve deeper. Also helps that I'm then left with a transcript I can directly insert into the piece verbatim.

However, that requires my subjects to actually trust me enough to 'friend' me. Twice I did make friends, (one who eventually became one of the loves of my life) - but not every time. To assume that because someone was kind enough to give me their time makes them my 'friend' is ridiculous.

Also, she had an opportunity to ask Michelle Obama anything and decided on such pedestrian questions! A fourth grader could have come up with those!
Avery said…
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-7298911/SARAH-VINE-memo-Meghan-Markle-Brits-prefer-true-royalty-fashion-royalty.html?fbclid=IwAR31JkRysEseRv4e6olOISgTsdfCT47GePF58AJ_NfCRdj6ViQqVVijyZdc

Gloves are coming off all over the place.
SDJ said…
The "I would have called her" statement is followed by what is essentially Meghan's FANTASY of their convo.

And Meghan? if you are one of the participants in the ping-pong of dialogue, you don't chime in. You are already one half of the conversation. You chime in if you are on the sidelines.

Yeah, she definitely writes at a fairly immature level. Verbose, pretentious word salads.
ColleenS said…
@Avery, I'm getting a visual of what you said!!
Humor Me said…
After the latest DM headline (PH interviews Dame Goodall) , all I can write is.....

SERIOUSLY????
SwampWoman said…
@ Unknown, I think you've got it! She really meant "the laughs and sighs and ping-pong of face palms as I chimed in".

@ Louise, as I'm ping-ponging (sorry!) back and forth between Harry being equally culpable or merely a dim blundering male held securely in the fangs of a female spider, those webs trailing back to Soho House are troubling.
baltic_salt said…
thank you! the remarkable tone deafness of the whole "forward thinking chef" absurdity in the same article as "privilege". aside from that, the piece is a cut and paste collection of insipid cliches.
Girl with a Hat said…
you mean the copy editor.
Girl with a Hat said…
when Meghan first entered the British scene and was seen to be an awful dresser, lots of journalists suggested she try to become a protegee of Enninful so she could up her game. I doubt she is taking his advice about how to dress, but she seems to have latched onto him, like a lamprey eel, to promote herself. Poor guy!
Jen said…
LOL @ SwampWoman
abbyh said…
The gloves are flying in all directions.

I was thinking about the PH interviews Dame Goodall and what was printed. They may have had a conversation. Parts of it may have been even printed. However words can be printed which were never spoken. She did have quite a control over the project and I could see her possible adding somethings to make it sexier, more in line with other pieces. I can't possible know for certain but I would not state it could never happen (as I have seen it done elsewhere and once in print, you are stuck).

I noticed the nice swipe at DOC and the number of their kids (talk is there could be another). But if they really, really are that concerned about world population numbers ... they maybe should not have any kids to help lessen them and burden.
Jen said…
LMAO @ "still wiping up our plate of baked beans with white bread." OMG that's good stuff. Thank you!
SwampWoman said…
She's undoubtedly doing more research on primate behavior with PH (as subject of study).
Avery said…
@ColleenS - I'm sorry about that. Hope it doesn't lead to nightmares!
JL said…
What an astute and great catch Nutty. Have done stints as an editor and copyeditor. She may have not allowed them to edit her writing So that the revenge was that it is clear no one copy edited it. Normally in the magazine world, copy editing is done three times or is seen by three sets of eyes. Her finished piece is riddled with errors. Wow. Very good.
JL said…
Delusional as always. A legend in her own mind.
JL said…
Sex and the City. LOL
JL said…
Lilalee. Finally learned that Firefox not Safari allows me to post.
JL said…
Michelle and Harry, the half-wit Prince, have a special bond. IMO The Meg nagged Harry until he called Michelle to ask her to do the interview. It probably cost him that special bond though.
Hikari said…
The jury's still out as to whether they've actually had a kid. Archie seems oddly a complete afterthought to the 'mother' who spent 10 months fondling her belly for cameras at every opportunity.

Haz must really be dim if he was conned by this woman for more than the length of one date. He had to have sobered up sometime. And is the rest of his family so insecure about their education that they are going to swallow wholesale Smeghan's PR that she is an articulate, accomplished *intellectual* woman with dual degrees from a top university?

I don't know about you all but I'd sure like to get a gander at her Northwestern transcripts. Perhaps the tale that she matriculated there or ever graduated is a snow job just like the rest of her PR.

I think the board of directors at Vogue/Conde Nast might move swifter to remove EE from his post as head of this travesty than the royal family has done to deal with the problem on their hands
hhstarr said…
I am probably unpopular but I am not a fan of the feminist movement, as it is now. I am conservative, and believe that women have huge positives that men dont have, as men have positives we dont have. A women's compassion, maternal instinct, etc. I believe a woman should have a choice to work or stay home to raise the kids and both are wonderful and right. I also believe that just because you are a woman, you should not be expected to be treated better or worse. I stayed home to raise my kids. I shouldn't expect my employer to pay me the same as a man who worked those 5 years. But if he worked the same # of years, we should be paid the same if we do the same quality work. I also hate the man bashing. Men are wonderful (for the most part). I love men. My husband is a good man. But women like Meghan being people down she doesnt agree or approve of. That is not being a good woman.
hhstarr said…
I just read the Twitter. I think it is a fake trying to pretend to be her. I don't buy this one. There are some crazies out there, not just Meghan. And I am no fan of Meghan.
fordgirl said…
I am a spanish language copyeditor and I can't stand the way she writes: too many meaningless adjectives; that's typical of someone who does not know how to write and that has to fulfill certain numbers of words for an article. The way her "editorial letter" starts reminds of Carrie Bradshaw writing in her laptop.
Flangalina said…
Oh Nutty,
Your pen is very very mighty,it moves better than a Salamanca broadsword.
BRAVO..x
Avery said…
Definitely doesn't sound like her. I'm with you hhstarr.
Flangalina said…
@swishyfishy
I’m completely there with you,a close relative of mine has classic NPD so much so
I’m sure I can smell them out!
I’m also lucky to have friendships with scholars who deal with these kind of disorders all
the time.
My heart goes out to you as these people,just leave carnage and devastation in the wake
Ergo MM they have no morale compass and just use abuse and discard at will so I understand your
disdain for MM who shows all the signs that we can see,I guess that’s why we feel so much anger
Towards her as we see the Machiavellian disingenuous person she really is and are quite hopeless
to do anything about it except discuss.I don’t see that as a flaw in your character I see it as empathy
and a hopelessness to help others in her agenda.
Ozmanda said…
And just when you think this train wreck cant get any worse..

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7301321/Prince-Harry-interviewed-Dr-Jane-Goodall-Meghans-edition-British-Vogue.html

This has pretty much dissipated any lingering sympathy I have had towards Harry.
Mischief Girl said…
Jane Goodall is a true hero of mine. It pains me to see her associated in ANY way with the Sussexes.

I was fortunate enough to hear her speak twice at a small venue in San Francisco many years ago, and then again when she gave the sermon at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco for one celebration of the Feast of St. Francis. I have a picture of her greeting my beloved first dog, Mischief (long since gone to the happy hunting grounds).

Dame Goodall is an astonishing woman and has accomplished so much good in her life. That she is playing the marketing game with these two is deeply upsetting to me.
abbyh said…
I really don't know that he said that.

She had the control after whatever he had down on paper and handed over to her.
Could she, would she change it? so it fit better with the other pieces into a more unified political frame?
BooBigly said…
I too got the colon joke but was snickering too hard too respond
Louise said…
I guess that she has bills to pay.

Even integrity has a price.
Louise said…
She takes credit for things that she didn't do, but never takes responsibility for the things that she does do.

It's always somebody else's fault, and she is the poor victim.

Telling people not to take photos at Wimbledon.. a rogue security guard.

Telling people at Windsor not to ask her dog's name... not her. No siree, it's never her.
Lurking said…
And so it begins... https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-7303543/Duchess-Sussex-launch-line-womens-clothing.html
Catty said…
KayeC - Can we all just stop pretending that Northern people do not teach their children manners & do not teach their boys to be respectful of women? I am so very sick of hearing that manners & kindness & values are a strictly Southern thing - it is definitely not - the North is full of kind, hard-working, respectful people who treasure their families & the values they were raised with. Why would you worry about raising your boys as proper gentlemen just because some rabid feminists might be offended by it? I find most young women who claim to be feminists are nothing of the sort - basically they think they should never be held accountable for their actions just because they are female & many are just plain old man-haters.
Catty said…
Louise - honestly I think Meghan submitted that "chicken taco lunch" to imply that she & MO conducted this interview over lunch. The fact-checkers would have had to insist she state that the interview was not face-to-face but by email hence the strange mention of the chicken tacos - that's how I see it anyway.
Catty said…
SwampWoman - that is the Truth!! How can you keep claiming you are a feminist when all the attention & perks you now have are all thanks to your marriage? I remember seeing a photo of Meghan after they were married & she was putting in a very brief appearance somewhere & these elderly women were bowing to her & she was just beaming & glowing - I was shocked - I would never have elderly women bowing to me no matter who the hell I was & especially if I kept telling the world was a fierce feminist I was.
Lurking said…
Nutty... I don't know the timeline between Smeg and Harry well enough. How does the creation of the meghansmirror.com domain name fit? It was created on November 23, 2016 and then updated on July 6, 2017.

Quick search for timeline results in this:

November 8, 2016 statement by Harry whining about abuse and harassment of Smeg, although no one at the time would know they were in a relationship.

November 21 2016 Antigua, Prime Minister Gaston Browne teases Harry, “I believe we are expecting a new princess soon. I want know that you are very welcome to come on your honeymoon here … there will be nowhere in the world as special to spend your honeymoon

November 23, 2016 domain name registered.

Nov. 27, 2016: Following reports that Prince William was unhappy with Harry’s decision to go public with his relationship

Fishy.
Catty said…
SwampWoman - Too friggin funny - I have to watch my carbs now - my blood sugar is a bit high - it's awful - I never realized until I had to watch them that basically everything I love is a carb.
Catty said…
Meghan doesn't have a genuine bone in her body & I think that comes thru in her writing - the phoniness is all you feel because it is all an act - she is not a kind, sincere person but she tries to project that in her writing & of course goes overboard.
Catty said…
SwampWoman - I gave Harry the benefit of the doubt for quite some time now but he sounds as pretentious & self-absorbed as she does. To be honest I never really cared for him - I preferred Will but maybe that was due to me being the oldest girl in my family & my parents being stricter with me because I set an example (and as they admitted later they were tired of fighting when my younger siblings became teens ;)). I always found him to be rude & annoying but the press made him out to be "cheeky" - when people allow you to behave badly & make excuses for your bad behavior chances are you never grow out of it. JMO
Catty said…
Louise - Exactly - and then people wonder why so many people have quit working for them.
gabes_human said…
Elle, Oh I got your colon joke! One doesn’t have to be a proctologist to grin at the reference.
Ozmanda said…
Sooo radical idea - Could @Torontopapers1 be piers morgan?
gabes_human said…
Hello Kaye. As a fellow Southern Girl I raised my boys with the same good manners I was. My former husband was your typical baby blue Marine and he was even stricter than I was about proper etiquette-so much so that when our young son opened the door at the PX for an elderly gentleman the whole store was abuzz. The elderly gentleman was a well known Congressional Medal of Honour recipient but we didn’t know that at the time-he was just an older gentleman.

I did my time as a dirt covered welder which not only kept me in 116 lbs. of toned perfection, it allowed me to save enough money to put myself through a Blue Ribbon culinary school in Paris and medical school. Most of the guys I worked with were nice, adopted brother types. When there are three women in a workforce of 3000, IF two of us got to work together it was girl-time. As a white woman there were two times that a man of colour was used to intimidate me. Once was a time when a co-worker and I were sent to a back building ( just the two of us) for the day to build a project that they usually used an overhead crane to maneuver but we didn’t have access to one out back. He later told me that out boss had been sent out with me with the order to “make her quit”. He admitted that I nearly killed him that day as we made 2x the number of items as they usually did. Another was a time(s) where we all washed up after the day and for lunch. Several days in a row I was privileged to see another POC standing beside the building relieving himself. I think I was supposed to shriek and run but I said “oh, I had heard that black men were hung like a horse. I see I was misinformed.” It never happened again.

My point is, I consider myself a feminist and yes, by all means, raise chivalrous young men. I never have figured out what I want to be when I grow up so have been lucky enough to spend many years on college campuses on both sides of the podium. Would you believe that some of them are actually having to offer etiquette classes?
Girl with a Hat said…
I don't think he's in the right time zone.
Girl with a Hat said…
there's no record of her ever graduating from North Western. There is a record of her attending, but her graduation photo has never been seen. The only graduation photo we see of her is from high school.
Lurking said…
Can you schedule tweets?
Jdubya said…
Just saw the new riddle - and starting to see various interpretations of it. What do you think?

MM Anon
MM ANON, … delusional acceptance of a VB co-edit.… “I’m worried about spiralling “… “ she needs help grandma”… not very straight’ that jacket … but, there’s no more rope left. … “good morning LG, we need to talk “… the hidden pre-nup.… “Down and out in Scotland and L.A. “. “Don’t argue darling , just shoot the messenger “ … Very interesting intelligence’ thank you M.


Thank you😁❤️❤️❤️❤️
Rut said…
It would be interesting so hear about that emailinterview from M Obamas. perspective. I can imagine it was not such a big deal in her life as it was for Meghan. Im sure M Obama was running around doing a lot of IMPORTANT things while Meghan was doing that interview, answering phonecalls, giving interviews to real journalists talking to real friends, doing other things on her computer while answering Meghan Markles questions. Meghan Markle has that kind of personality ...she make little things bigger than they are.
catskillgreen said…
I think a group of the Lion King celebs bowed to her too when introduced. I only saw it quickly and it may have been in fun/sarcasm, not seriously.
Mom Mobile said…
FYI: https://www.thedailybeast.com/meghans-vogue-issue-goes-down-in-flames
catskillgreen said…
The Obamas are close with the Clooneys so Meghan probably wormed her way into meeting Michelle.
hardyboys said…
I really think this is the beginning of the end for her. The backlash to MM is too severe I dont feel her position is secure at all. On that note i do feel the whole mystique of the BRF is starting to unravel which is kind of fun also. Both Kate and MMs clothes prices are being revealed all the time and some rag just posted about the cost of will and Kate's 27k£ vacation. They wouldn't do this unless they want to irritate the public even more. I dont think the public is that dumb where shaking hands and cutting ribbons is enough for the British public in this modern world. But which politician has the guts to order a referendum? That takes guts and politicians only think of their own neck. Btw isnt New Zealand literally almost anti monarchist.?

By the way the writing of the commentators on this post is second to none. We are talking original cattiness at it's best. Sometimes I have to read them twice. I want to copy them in my every day parlance. Yup reading this blog in between my briefs and memos is sooooo much fun I cant tell you. And then I compare it against laineys self serving flowery dribble about coincidence or conspiracy non?

MM go make up with pops right now. You are desperate for survival now. At least lainey loves her mom and talks about her all the time.

Have a great day nutty flavour posters!!!! :)))))
Now! said…
It certainly didn't sound like the way Harry has expressed himself in the past.

Meghan has written some of his speeches; it seems likely that she may have also provided some of his quotes.

Did he actually repeat what she had written so it could be argued that "he said it"? Hard to know.

He's not a bright fellow, so I doubt he's been studying intersectional politics on his own.
Now! said…
Yes, you can schedule Tweets.

But Piers Morgan already has plenty of outlets for his opinion. I doubt he needs to use a pseudonym on Twitter to speak out.

I feel the same way when people suggest I'm secretly this or that commenter on Lipstick Alley. Uh, no, I have a blog. I don't need to play hide-and-seek on yours.
MaLissa said…
"By the way the writing of the commentators on this post is second to none. We are talking original cattiness at it's best. Sometimes I have to read them twice. I want to copy them in my every day parlance. Yup reading this blog in between my briefs and memos is sooooo much fun I cant tell you. And then I compare it against laineys self serving flowery dribble about coincidence or conspiracy non?"

@Veena Priceless :)
MaLissa said…
@Catty I'm from up North, all my family is I just happened to be married to a Southern boy. Men on both "both sides of the line" are beautifully mannered, respectful, kind and hard working. Of course there are also those who aren't any of those things on "both sides of the line". My mother is/was a feminist (she passed in 1988) but she didn't need to proclaim she was a feminist, she just did it.
Anonymous said…
OTT, but certainly related, you can exercise your right to vote here: https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/17805493.calls-ban-duke-duchess-sussex-brighton-hove/
Anonymous said…
"My fashion queens: Meghan Markle shares new pictures of her secret trips to women's charity after revealing plans to support it by launching her own clothing line at Marks & Spencer"

Quite obvs, Merriam-Webster needs to update their defintion:

Definition of secret
1a : kept from knowledge or view : hidden
b : marked by the habit of discretion : closemouthed
c : working with hidden aims or methods : undercover a secret agent
d : not acknowledged : unavowed a secret bride
e : conducted in secret a secret trial
Anonymous said…
The article is a 'don't miss' because of the retro claw & bump photos.
Ozmanda said…
I would love to see if there are any records of when she was working on Vogue and if that is during the times she was supposed to attend official events that she pulled the "baby card" for. If they line up she is royally (pun intended) screwed
Ozmanda said…
Interesting that in the article she states she was with her dogs but no mention of Archie. It is like he doesn't exist...
abbyh said…
Nice catch about the dogs over baby.

We don't hear or see anything about them being walked. Or the baby in a stroller even when her mother was around.
Hikari said…
I doubt there'd be records since this project was TOP SECRET!!!!! Ed Enninful might have some notes on his Blackberry about when Meg dropped by the offices but it's not like there'd be a time card for her or anything. Maybe they worked in the middle of the night when no one else was around but some Serbian cleaners who wouldn't dare say a word? Maybe Ed was putting her up somewhere and they worked there?
punkinseed said…
Thanks Nutty. I was tripping on her word choice of "caveat" instead of plain old every day, "warning" or "caution". It appears she doesn't want Harry' to comprehend her article.
You are correct. I've been an editor and not only do I suck at proofreading my copy, but hate it too. When I didn't have anyone to edit or proofread for me, I'd read the article out loud. Saved my ass several times. As far as Meg's punc., she probably disagrees with the Style Manual Vogue uses.
punkinseed said…
I think Michelle was trying to eat a chicken taco on the run back stage, getting ready to move on to her next gig, while Megs dropped in unexpected to chat.
punkinseed said…
Right about now, I'd love to have Haywood Banks pound out something on his toaster about this mess. TOAST!!
George Carlin would get a lot of mileage from this mess of a Megs Malaprop, too. I sure miss Carlin.
It would be a real article if Nutty or Hikari wrote it. Even if both had to be stuck proofreading it themselves.
punkinseed said…
Michelle hates to work very long on anything. She said so herself quite awhile ago. She probably just wanted to get it over with.
Anonymous said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said…
Well: I'm glad :)
Anonymous said…
I confess to using "caveat" often, but I have reason to do so whereas mm is merely pretentious. I'm guessing she isn't a regular user lol.

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