Posted on August 4, 2020
There was this TV show called Suits. I really liked the first season - so much so that I watched for eight additional seasons - most of which were a mixed bag of fun and meh.
One of my favorite parts of the show was watching the hyper-competent and lovely paralegal (who eventually became a law student and then a lawyer) named Rachel Zane.
And Rachel was played by an actor named Meghan Markle. Who just happens to be today's famous birthday.
When the news dropped that Markle was going to marry Britain's Prince Harry, I immediately thought two things: "Well, my favorite part of Suits will be leaving," and "I hope they don't kill Rachel off!" Indeed, the show kindly allowed the Rachel character to marry the Mike character and then take off for new career opportunities across the continent. So, phew!
While Rachel-the-fictional-character was getting married and then leaving for Seattle, Washington, Meghan-the-actor was heading to Britain for a royal wedding!
Becoming a royal (and a mom!) had some glamour but also some bumps, and in 2020 Meghan and Harry announced they would be stepping back from being senior members of the royal family in order to live in North America part time. I gather that there was some racist harassment and bullying towards Meghan from some sectors of British press!
Depressing, huh?
Depressing, huh?
 |
| Doria Ragland (Meghan's mom) was a social worker and yoga instructor. |
Meghan, who was born in Los Angeles, California, on this date in 1981, is biracial, with a white father and a black mother, and she once shared that that made it hard to get acting jobs. She could try out for almost every role, but she wasn't "black enough" to land black roles nor "white enough" to land white ones!
All her life Meghan has been an outspoken feminist, and she has had speaking engagements in which she discussed gender equality and drew attention to modern-day slavery. In her charity work, she always uses her role to support women's rights and social justice.
In addition to being an actor, pre-royal Meghan worked as a calligrapher and bookbinder. She also founded and wrote a lifestyle website called The Tig. She made around $80,000 a year on social media, reaching 3 million followers on Instagram, 800,000 on Facebook, and 350,000 on Twitter. But all that ended, like her acting career, when she became a royal. She took down the website in April, 2017, and she deleted all of her social media accounts.
But she does get new things. Like her very own coat of arms and royal monogram! And titles: Meghan is now a princess of the United Kingdom, Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Sussex, Countess of Dumbarton, and Baroness of Kilkeel.
Birthday of sharpshooter Lillian Frances Smith
