‘Toxic stereotyping of Asian women doesn’t just end once the credits roll’

A new edition of Meghan Markle’s Archetype podcast, which launched last month with Serena Williams as its guest, has finally come out.
The Duchess of Sussex’s podcast released its most recent episode as the first one following the passing of Queen Elizabeth II earlier in September. The most recent episode followed a discussion on toxic Asian stereotypes featuring journalist Lisa Ling and actor-comedian Margret Cho.
Meghan and the guests discussed a variety of topics, including their own experiences, how they overcame stereotypes, the problematic representations of Asian women on television and in the media, and much more.
The Duchess recalled the various cultures she was exposed to while growing up in Los Angeles and stressed that many Asian cultures were a part of her life while growing up in the opening scene of the ‘Demystification of Dragon Lady’ episode. Meghan acknowledged that she had been ignorant of the stereotypes that many Asian women had endured for a very long time and emphasised the negative portrayal of Asians on screen.
She said, “This toxic stereotyping of women of Asian descent — this doesn’t just end once the credits roll. Movies like Austin Powers and Kill Bill—they presented these caricatures of women of Asian descent as oversexualized or aggressive.”
Before the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, three episodes of Archetype were broadcast, featuring guests like Serena Williams, Mariah Carey, and Mindy Kaling, who seemed to dispel stereotypes about women. Following the late monarch’s funeral on September 19, a week of mourning was observed by Queen Elizabeth’s family. After that, the members of the Royal family went back to work.
The podcast has resumed, but the release date for Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s Netflix docu-series has been further delayed as a result of the Queen’s death.