Meghan Markle has opened up about the stereotypes of Black roles in acting as she unpicked the "Angry Black Woman" trope in her latest podcast episode.
Delving into important discussions around race and gender, the Duchess of Sussex invited writer and comedians Ziwe Fumudoh and Issa Rae to share their insights on her chart-topping podcast as she says Black women are labelled 'demanding' and 'angry' throughout society.
As part of the debut episode, Meghan urged comedic writer and best-selling author Issa Rae to shed light on how Black women can be championed in TV and film.
Her hit American television series, Insecure, was nominated for numerous Golden Globes Awards as well as Primetime Emmy Awards and is partially based on Rae's highly acclaimed YouTube series Awkward Black Girl.
The Duchess praised Issa's TV character's and the "service she's done for the community", before stressing the importance of being "able to see nuanced layered multifaceted women" on screen.
In a candid moment between the two women, Meghan shared her own experience of experiencing stereotypical Black roles during her career as an actress.
Opening up about the auditioning process, she said: "I remember those casting sheets where the description of the character - she always had to have an edge or an attitude".
A strong advocate for fighting prejudice and racism, Meghan also discussed the inherent pressures felt by Black women in the workplace to behave in a certain way.
Discussing the dynamics in her work life, the Duchess of Sussex said she often finds herself 'cowering and tiptoeing into a room' when speaking through fear of seeming 'demanding'.
"The thing I find the most embarrassing is when you're saying a sentence and the intonation goes up - like it's a question. And you're like, 'oh my God, stop stop, like whispering and tiptoeing around it'", she tells listeners.
Fighting to challenge these stereotypes, the Duchess adds: "You're allowed to set a boundary. You're allowed to be clear, does not make you demanding. It does not make you difficult makes you clear".
During her discussion around race, Meghan Markle also opens up about her Nigerian roots in the Archetypes episode.
The Duchess of Sussex told listeners that she took a genealogy test which revealed that she is 43% Nigerian - a shocking revelation for both her, Ziwe and Issa.
"I'm going to start to dig deeper into all of this because anyone that I've told, especially Nigerian women, are just like, what?," she explains, as her guests excitedly declare that this is 'huge news' for the community.
Archetypes was launched with the aim of investigating "labels that try to hold women back" through conversations between Meghan and historians, experts and women who have experienced being typecast.
In last week's episode, she chatted to Paris Hilton about the stereotype of the "bimbo" and revealed that she felt "objectified" during her stint as a briefcase girl on Deal or No Deal.
She also recalled the four-word jibe that led to her quitting after being made to feel like a "bimbo".
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