Meghan Markle Sets 1st Podcast Series, Archetypes, Dismantling the Negative Stereotypes of Women

The forthcoming podcast series by Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, finally has a name and very promising premise.

Per Deadline, Archetypes, is set to examine various stereotypes about women and the ways in which they negatively impact society and our individual perceptions. Markle will also be joined by a handful of historians and experts who’ll carefully examine how those stereotypes came about and the ways in which they inform our narratives.

“This is how we talk about women: the words that raise our girls, and how the media reflects women back to us but where do these stereotypes come from?” Markle explains in the Spotify teaser. “And how do they keep showing up and defining our lives. This is Archetypes: the podcast where we dissect, explore, and subvert the labels that try to hold women back. I’ll have conversations with women who know all too well how these typecasts shape our narratives. And I’ll talk to historians to understand how we even got here in the first place.”

As previously reported by The Root, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex signed a multi-year podcast deal with the streaming platform in 2020 to produce and host exclusive podcasts that “build community through shared experience, narratives and values.”

I don’t know about you but this subject matter seems more than fitting for Markle, given all the treatment and vitriol she’s been subjected seemingly since the day she and Prince Harry got married. It also seems extremely timely given the broader political landscape, specifically when it comes the blatantly misogynistic treatment of Ketanji Brown Jackson that’s been playing out on our small screens this week. If anybody has firsthand knowledge of the way negative stereotypes about women impact our daily lives, both internally and externally, and can provide the nuance necessary to break them down to their core—its Black women.

Archetypes is set to be produced by Archewell Audio in partnership with Gimlet Media for Spotify and is expected to hit the streamer this summer.