The Duchess of Sussex is to present a podcast investigating the stereotypes and labels that have held women back over the years, ranging from physical weakness to promiscuity and hysteria, as the first series in the Sussexes multimillion-dollar deal with Spotify.
The podcast, named Archetypes, will launch on the streaming service later this year after the deal was first announced in December 2020. Through conversations with historians and experts it will explore the origins of stereotypes and how they influence women’s lives.
The trailer for the podcast starts with a series of quotes citing stereotypes that have held women back, including “She’s a slut”, “She’s emotionally unstable” and “People thought I should be quiet and submissive”.
This is followed by Meghan saying: “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? And how do they keep showing up and defining our lives.”
She then adds that the podcast will “dissect, explore and subvert the labels that try to hold women back” through conversations with “women who know all too well how these typecasts shape our narratives” and with historians explaining the background.
The project is the first series to emerge from Archewell Audio, which was set up by Meghan and Prince Harry, and has an exclusive partnership with Spotify to produce programmes featuring a diverse range of perspectives. It will be produced in association with the award-winning podcasters Gimlet Media.
The couple previously released a special in 2020 featuring their son, Archie, and celebrity guests.
Meghan has previously indicated that women’s rights is an issue that is close to her heart, and pledged to continue her campaign work when she joined the royal family, although she and Harry have since stepped down from royal duties. She previously worked as a UN Women’s advocate for women’s political participation and leadership, and has said she is “proud to be a feminist”.
In 2018, she was praised for delivering a passionate speech about women’s suffrage in New Zealand in commemoration of the 125th anniversary of women achieving the right to vote in the country.
