With Love, Meghan on Netflix

[Anonymous]

As an aside I would love to see how much sock puppeting is going on within this thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As an aside I would love to see how much sock puppeting is going on within this thread.

Ask Jeff, however, he may not want to spend the time since royal threads are his least favorite.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As an aside I would love to see how much sock puppeting is going on within this thread.

Ask Jeff, however, he may not want to spend the time since royal threads are his least favorite.

I feel like if so much wasn't going on in the Politics thread, this thread would have been closed or at least had posts deleted as OT. That said, this thread is much tamer than other Meghan Sussex threads.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A short review of the 8 episodes in case you want to get caught up without watching it yourself.

(Episodes 1-4) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImKOAd-PEo8

(Episodes 5-8) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tI1P6MCK1QM

Why in the world would anyone need a two part summary of a cooking show? But I clicked through and it looks like that creator just makes anti MM videos so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.

The show is still in the top ten this weekend. That’s a lot of cumulative eyeballs.

It isn't a cooking show. There is very little cooking happening, other than a couple guest chefs. It is about hosting and making gifts and treats and Meghan showing her lifestyle and how she lives her life. She shows you how to blow up a balloon, put fruit on a tray in a shape, put little shovels in bags for kids, put water and tea in a jar, etc,

And she is trying to erase her father as apparently now she wants the world to believe she was raised in poverty by her mother. Except she previously detailed her quite UMC life with her father and documented her mother's absence during long parts of her childhood.

She is so much like Hilaria Baldwin. Kind of funny they both got TV shows at the same time. They should become friends but would probably see each other as competition.

I grew up UMC (private schools, etc) but was a latchkey kid who ate a TON of fast food and tv dinners. My parents weren't poor, but they were busy working/commuting so cooking home cooked meals weren't a priority.

Except she wasn’t a latch key kid. She’s said her dad took her to work and they ate out a lot. She sounds like an UMC perfectionist that has adopted a persona.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A short review of the 8 episodes in case you want to get caught up without watching it yourself.

(Episodes 1-4) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImKOAd-PEo8

(Episodes 5-8) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tI1P6MCK1QM

Why in the world would anyone need a two part summary of a cooking show? But I clicked through and it looks like that creator just makes anti MM videos so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.

The show is still in the top ten this weekend. That’s a lot of cumulative eyeballs.

It isn't a cooking show. There is very little cooking happening, other than a couple guest chefs. It is about hosting and making gifts and treats and Meghan showing her lifestyle and how she lives her life. She shows you how to blow up a balloon, put fruit on a tray in a shape, put little shovels in bags for kids, put water and tea in a jar, etc,

And she is trying to erase her father as apparently now she wants the world to believe she was raised in poverty by her mother. Except she previously detailed her quite UMC life with her father and documented her mother's absence during long parts of her childhood.

She is so much like Hilaria Baldwin. Kind of funny they both got TV shows at the same time. They should become friends but would probably see each other as competition.

I grew up UMC (private schools, etc) but was a latchkey kid who ate a TON of fast food and tv dinners. My parents weren't poor, but they were busy working/commuting so cooking home cooked meals weren't a priority.

Except she wasn’t a latch key kid. She’s said her dad took her to work and they ate out a lot. She sounds like an UMC perfectionist that has adopted a persona.

Really? Her dad took her on set so it means she is umc!?!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They probably have enough money to pay the bills without working - if they had not chosen to live in a VHCOL area in a huge mansion. They could easily have selected a less expensive home in a less expensive area and never worked again.

This describes a lot of people who post on DCUM, though. The financial forum is filled with people who are like "we are just scraping by on 400k a year, btw we live in a 5 bedroom new build in Bethesda and send our kids to private schools but anything else is unacceptable, oh no pity us." Like this is the DCUM brand.

And the thing is, it doesn't appear Meghan made this show under duress or something. You can tell she likes doing this stuff and wanted to make a show that she thought people would like. I do think she's kind of pretentious and she certainly enjoys the royal title and pretention, but this doesn't feel like someone desperately hustling for money to afford their lavish lifestyle. It feels like she genuinely wants to create a lifestyle brand and actually feels passionate about stuff like making farm-fresh preserves and setting a table in a pretty way. And there is a market for that, and she's clearly targeting that market. She comes off like an ambitious business person who is working to create a product that is successful, which is extremely American and usually very lauded in our culture. So it's weird to me how many people are mad about it, regardless of whether this show or her brand are for you, when she's no different from your average Shark Tank contestant, just better resourced and connected because she was already a successful actor and then married a British prince. Shrug. She doesn't seem to resent having to work -- she appears to enjoy it.

The problem I have is that she doesn’t actually know what work is. It is the Blake lively problem. They think they want to do all these things, start these companies, create beautiful things, produce, tell stories, but really what they want to do is sit around and have dozens of staff who worked their asses off to get them ideas present really polished PowerPoints to them and have them pick something and sign off on it. It’s actually not work.

Disagree. Part of her problem in the UK was that she’s very hardworking and a go-getter whereas that is *not* the ethos in palace circles, where you have to act oh-so-casual and cool and get things done through the back channel. I think she got frustrated and that made her treat her staff badly.

“She made me hit her”.

Way to justify bad behavior!

She sent 5am emails, what a bully.
Can i roll my eyes harder?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They probably have enough money to pay the bills without working - if they had not chosen to live in a VHCOL area in a huge mansion. They could easily have selected a less expensive home in a less expensive area and never worked again.

This describes a lot of people who post on DCUM, though. The financial forum is filled with people who are like "we are just scraping by on 400k a year, btw we live in a 5 bedroom new build in Bethesda and send our kids to private schools but anything else is unacceptable, oh no pity us." Like this is the DCUM brand.

And the thing is, it doesn't appear Meghan made this show under duress or something. You can tell she likes doing this stuff and wanted to make a show that she thought people would like. I do think she's kind of pretentious and she certainly enjoys the royal title and pretention, but this doesn't feel like someone desperately hustling for money to afford their lavish lifestyle. It feels like she genuinely wants to create a lifestyle brand and actually feels passionate about stuff like making farm-fresh preserves and setting a table in a pretty way. And there is a market for that, and she's clearly targeting that market. She comes off like an ambitious business person who is working to create a product that is successful, which is extremely American and usually very lauded in our culture. So it's weird to me how many people are mad about it, regardless of whether this show or her brand are for you, when she's no different from your average Shark Tank contestant, just better resourced and connected because she was already a successful actor and then married a British prince. Shrug. She doesn't seem to resent having to work -- she appears to enjoy it.

The problem I have is that she doesn’t actually know what work is. It is the Blake lively problem. They think they want to do all these things, start these companies, create beautiful things, produce, tell stories, but really what they want to do is sit around and have dozens of staff who worked their asses off to get them ideas present really polished PowerPoints to them and have them pick something and sign off on it. It’s actually not work.

Disagree. Part of her problem in the UK was that she’s very hardworking and a go-getter whereas that is *not* the ethos in palace circles, where you have to act oh-so-casual and cool and get things done through the back channel. I think she got frustrated and that made her treat her staff badly.

“She made me hit her”.

Way to justify bad behavior!

She sent 5am emails, what a bully.
Can i roll my eyes harder?

Exactly. You also don’t have to respond to those emails. My boss emails me late at night. A response is never expected until the next day. Grow up if you think a couple emails at the ass crack of dawn is bullying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A short review of the 8 episodes in case you want to get caught up without watching it yourself.

(Episodes 1-4) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImKOAd-PEo8

(Episodes 5-8) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tI1P6MCK1QM

Why in the world would anyone need a two part summary of a cooking show? But I clicked through and it looks like that creator just makes anti MM videos so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.

The show is still in the top ten this weekend. That’s a lot of cumulative eyeballs.

It isn't a cooking show. There is very little cooking happening, other than a couple guest chefs. It is about hosting and making gifts and treats and Meghan showing her lifestyle and how she lives her life. She shows you how to blow up a balloon, put fruit on a tray in a shape, put little shovels in bags for kids, put water and tea in a jar, etc,

And she is trying to erase her father as apparently now she wants the world to believe she was raised in poverty by her mother. Except she previously detailed her quite UMC life with her father and documented her mother's absence during long parts of her childhood.

She is so much like Hilaria Baldwin. Kind of funny they both got TV shows at the same time. They should become friends but would probably see each other as competition.

I grew up UMC (private schools, etc) but was a latchkey kid who ate a TON of fast food and tv dinners. My parents weren't poor, but they were busy working/commuting so cooking home cooked meals weren't a priority.

Except she wasn’t a latch key kid. She’s said her dad took her to work and they ate out a lot. She sounds like an UMC perfectionist that has adopted a persona.

Really? Her dad took her on set so it means she is umc!?!

People keep forgetting her parents were divorced and her mom, who was like some hippie dippie bullshit yoga instructor, had primary custody. I doubt she was raking in six figures doing chakra realignments or whatever.

They always cite her father being able to pay her tuition as proof she’s secretly rich. What they don’t tell you is he won the lottery. Which, let’s be real, how many UMC men are playing the lottery. That’s kind of a low brow thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They probably have enough money to pay the bills without working - if they had not chosen to live in a VHCOL area in a huge mansion. They could easily have selected a less expensive home in a less expensive area and never worked again.

This describes a lot of people who post on DCUM, though. The financial forum is filled with people who are like "we are just scraping by on 400k a year, btw we live in a 5 bedroom new build in Bethesda and send our kids to private schools but anything else is unacceptable, oh no pity us." Like this is the DCUM brand.

And the thing is, it doesn't appear Meghan made this show under duress or something. You can tell she likes doing this stuff and wanted to make a show that she thought people would like. I do think she's kind of pretentious and she certainly enjoys the royal title and pretention, but this doesn't feel like someone desperately hustling for money to afford their lavish lifestyle. It feels like she genuinely wants to create a lifestyle brand and actually feels passionate about stuff like making farm-fresh preserves and setting a table in a pretty way. And there is a market for that, and she's clearly targeting that market. She comes off like an ambitious business person who is working to create a product that is successful, which is extremely American and usually very lauded in our culture. So it's weird to me how many people are mad about it, regardless of whether this show or her brand are for you, when she's no different from your average Shark Tank contestant, just better resourced and connected because she was already a successful actor and then married a British prince. Shrug. She doesn't seem to resent having to work -- she appears to enjoy it.

The problem I have is that she doesn’t actually know what work is. It is the Blake lively problem. They think they want to do all these things, start these companies, create beautiful things, produce, tell stories, but really what they want to do is sit around and have dozens of staff who worked their asses off to get them ideas present really polished PowerPoints to them and have them pick something and sign off on it. It’s actually not work.

Disagree. Part of her problem in the UK was that she’s very hardworking and a go-getter whereas that is *not* the ethos in palace circles, where you have to act oh-so-casual and cool and get things done through the back channel. I think she got frustrated and that made her treat her staff badly.

There is a difference between being a "go-getter" and being rude. She was known for sending 5 a.m. texts to staff. Thar is not done in the royal family, so it was considered pushy and rude. You can call it "go getter", but in many places ignoring local custom is considered poor form. Maybe they just were not impressed that the "Suits" makeup artists put up with that pushy behavior.
Apparently, those unsophisticated royal staffers never read "The Tig" or they would have known about her significant cultural contributions.

They tried to introduce her to how royal life works, but she thought she knew better because she was so esteemed and respected in Hollywood (for work on her back).

Spare me. Most of those staffers were hired through connections and we saw their massive incompetence throughout the Kate surgery/photoshop saga.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They probably have enough money to pay the bills without working - if they had not chosen to live in a VHCOL area in a huge mansion. They could easily have selected a less expensive home in a less expensive area and never worked again.

This describes a lot of people who post on DCUM, though. The financial forum is filled with people who are like "we are just scraping by on 400k a year, btw we live in a 5 bedroom new build in Bethesda and send our kids to private schools but anything else is unacceptable, oh no pity us." Like this is the DCUM brand.

And the thing is, it doesn't appear Meghan made this show under duress or something. You can tell she likes doing this stuff and wanted to make a show that she thought people would like. I do think she's kind of pretentious and she certainly enjoys the royal title and pretention, but this doesn't feel like someone desperately hustling for money to afford their lavish lifestyle. It feels like she genuinely wants to create a lifestyle brand and actually feels passionate about stuff like making farm-fresh preserves and setting a table in a pretty way. And there is a market for that, and she's clearly targeting that market. She comes off like an ambitious business person who is working to create a product that is successful, which is extremely American and usually very lauded in our culture. So it's weird to me how many people are mad about it, regardless of whether this show or her brand are for you, when she's no different from your average Shark Tank contestant, just better resourced and connected because she was already a successful actor and then married a British prince. Shrug. She doesn't seem to resent having to work -- she appears to enjoy it.

The problem I have is that she doesn’t actually know what work is. It is the Blake lively problem. They think they want to do all these things, start these companies, create beautiful things, produce, tell stories, but really what they want to do is sit around and have dozens of staff who worked their asses off to get them ideas present really polished PowerPoints to them and have them pick something and sign off on it. It’s actually not work.

Disagree. Part of her problem in the UK was that she’s very hardworking and a go-getter whereas that is *not* the ethos in palace circles, where you have to act oh-so-casual and cool and get things done through the back channel. I think she got frustrated and that made her treat her staff badly.

“She made me hit her”.

Way to justify bad behavior!

She sent 5am emails, what a bully.
Can i roll my eyes harder?

Exactly. You also don’t have to respond to those emails. My boss emails me late at night. A response is never expected until the next day. Grow up if you think a couple emails at the ass crack of dawn is bullying.

+2. I send 5am (or 11pm) emails sometimes because I am busy. Luckily nowadays the “schedule send” feature exists. Apparently bullying = asking people to do their job instead of sitting around drinking tea all day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They probably have enough money to pay the bills without working - if they had not chosen to live in a VHCOL area in a huge mansion. They could easily have selected a less expensive home in a less expensive area and never worked again.

This describes a lot of people who post on DCUM, though. The financial forum is filled with people who are like "we are just scraping by on 400k a year, btw we live in a 5 bedroom new build in Bethesda and send our kids to private schools but anything else is unacceptable, oh no pity us." Like this is the DCUM brand.

And the thing is, it doesn't appear Meghan made this show under duress or something. You can tell she likes doing this stuff and wanted to make a show that she thought people would like. I do think she's kind of pretentious and she certainly enjoys the royal title and pretention, but this doesn't feel like someone desperately hustling for money to afford their lavish lifestyle. It feels like she genuinely wants to create a lifestyle brand and actually feels passionate about stuff like making farm-fresh preserves and setting a table in a pretty way. And there is a market for that, and she's clearly targeting that market. She comes off like an ambitious business person who is working to create a product that is successful, which is extremely American and usually very lauded in our culture. So it's weird to me how many people are mad about it, regardless of whether this show or her brand are for you, when she's no different from your average Shark Tank contestant, just better resourced and connected because she was already a successful actor and then married a British prince. Shrug. She doesn't seem to resent having to work -- she appears to enjoy it.

The problem I have is that she doesn’t actually know what work is. It is the Blake lively problem. They think they want to do all these things, start these companies, create beautiful things, produce, tell stories, but really what they want to do is sit around and have dozens of staff who worked their asses off to get them ideas present really polished PowerPoints to them and have them pick something and sign off on it. It’s actually not work.

Disagree. Part of her problem in the UK was that she’s very hardworking and a go-getter whereas that is *not* the ethos in palace circles, where you have to act oh-so-casual and cool and get things done through the back channel. I think she got frustrated and that made her treat her staff badly.

There is a difference between being a "go-getter" and being rude. She was known for sending 5 a.m. texts to staff. Thar is not done in the royal family, so it was considered pushy and rude. You can call it "go getter", but in many places ignoring local custom is considered poor form. Maybe they just were not impressed that the "Suits" makeup artists put up with that pushy behavior.
Apparently, those unsophisticated royal staffers never read "The Tig" or they would have known about her significant cultural contributions.

They tried to introduce her to how royal life works, but she thought she knew better because she was so esteemed and respected in Hollywood (for work on her back).

Spare me. Most of those staffers were hired through connections and we saw their massive incompetence throughout the Kate surgery/photoshop saga.

The point is they had a clue how things worked in that institution, even if flawed, and she had no clue. But she did not want ro listen because she thought being a Hollywood c-lister was superior to the royal family. She's arrogant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They probably have enough money to pay the bills without working - if they had not chosen to live in a VHCOL area in a huge mansion. They could easily have selected a less expensive home in a less expensive area and never worked again.

This describes a lot of people who post on DCUM, though. The financial forum is filled with people who are like "we are just scraping by on 400k a year, btw we live in a 5 bedroom new build in Bethesda and send our kids to private schools but anything else is unacceptable, oh no pity us." Like this is the DCUM brand.

And the thing is, it doesn't appear Meghan made this show under duress or something. You can tell she likes doing this stuff and wanted to make a show that she thought people would like. I do think she's kind of pretentious and she certainly enjoys the royal title and pretention, but this doesn't feel like someone desperately hustling for money to afford their lavish lifestyle. It feels like she genuinely wants to create a lifestyle brand and actually feels passionate about stuff like making farm-fresh preserves and setting a table in a pretty way. And there is a market for that, and she's clearly targeting that market. She comes off like an ambitious business person who is working to create a product that is successful, which is extremely American and usually very lauded in our culture. So it's weird to me how many people are mad about it, regardless of whether this show or her brand are for you, when she's no different from your average Shark Tank contestant, just better resourced and connected because she was already a successful actor and then married a British prince. Shrug. She doesn't seem to resent having to work -- she appears to enjoy it.

The problem I have is that she doesn’t actually know what work is. It is the Blake lively problem. They think they want to do all these things, start these companies, create beautiful things, produce, tell stories, but really what they want to do is sit around and have dozens of staff who worked their asses off to get them ideas present really polished PowerPoints to them and have them pick something and sign off on it. It’s actually not work.

Disagree. Part of her problem in the UK was that she’s very hardworking and a go-getter whereas that is *not* the ethos in palace circles, where you have to act oh-so-casual and cool and get things done through the back channel. I think she got frustrated and that made her treat her staff badly.

There is a difference between being a "go-getter" and being rude. She was known for sending 5 a.m. texts to staff. Thar is not done in the royal family, so it was considered pushy and rude. You can call it "go getter", but in many places ignoring local custom is considered poor form. Maybe they just were not impressed that the "Suits" makeup artists put up with that pushy behavior.
Apparently, those unsophisticated royal staffers never read "The Tig" or they would have known about her significant cultural contributions.

They tried to introduce her to how royal life works, but she thought she knew better because she was so esteemed and respected in Hollywood (for work on her back).

Spare me. Most of those staffers were hired through connections and we saw their massive incompetence throughout the Kate surgery/photoshop saga.

The point is they had a clue how things worked in that institution, even if flawed, and she had no clue. But she did not want ro listen because she thought being a Hollywood c-lister was superior to the royal family. She's arrogant.

Um, it is. At least most c-listers got where they are because of some merit or quality. The royal family is full of grifters, not to mention colonizers and rapists in the past (and I’m sure present). They are worse than muck at the bottom of our shoes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They probably have enough money to pay the bills without working - if they had not chosen to live in a VHCOL area in a huge mansion. They could easily have selected a less expensive home in a less expensive area and never worked again.

This describes a lot of people who post on DCUM, though. The financial forum is filled with people who are like "we are just scraping by on 400k a year, btw we live in a 5 bedroom new build in Bethesda and send our kids to private schools but anything else is unacceptable, oh no pity us." Like this is the DCUM brand.

And the thing is, it doesn't appear Meghan made this show under duress or something. You can tell she likes doing this stuff and wanted to make a show that she thought people would like. I do think she's kind of pretentious and she certainly enjoys the royal title and pretention, but this doesn't feel like someone desperately hustling for money to afford their lavish lifestyle. It feels like she genuinely wants to create a lifestyle brand and actually feels passionate about stuff like making farm-fresh preserves and setting a table in a pretty way. And there is a market for that, and she's clearly targeting that market. She comes off like an ambitious business person who is working to create a product that is successful, which is extremely American and usually very lauded in our culture. So it's weird to me how many people are mad about it, regardless of whether this show or her brand are for you, when she's no different from your average Shark Tank contestant, just better resourced and connected because she was already a successful actor and then married a British prince. Shrug. She doesn't seem to resent having to work -- she appears to enjoy it.

The problem I have is that she doesn’t actually know what work is. It is the Blake lively problem. They think they want to do all these things, start these companies, create beautiful things, produce, tell stories, but really what they want to do is sit around and have dozens of staff who worked their asses off to get them ideas present really polished PowerPoints to them and have them pick something and sign off on it. It’s actually not work.

Disagree. Part of her problem in the UK was that she’s very hardworking and a go-getter whereas that is *not* the ethos in palace circles, where you have to act oh-so-casual and cool and get things done through the back channel. I think she got frustrated and that made her treat her staff badly.

“She made me hit her”.

Way to justify bad behavior!

She sent 5am emails, what a bully.
Can i roll my eyes harder?

Exactly. You also don’t have to respond to those emails. My boss emails me late at night. A response is never expected until the next day. Grow up if you think a couple emails at the ass crack of dawn is bullying.

+2. I send 5am (or 11pm) emails sometimes because I am busy. Luckily nowadays the “schedule send” feature exists. Apparently bullying = asking people to do their job instead of sitting around drinking tea all day.

The 5 am texts aren’t the bullying. Multiple credible reporters have all independently reported on the same thing - the Times, Vanity Fair, the Hollywood Reporter etc… all saying that multiple staff when they were in Britain and more recently in the US have dealt with severe bullying by her. These people are all locked into NDAs but she hasn’t sued so it makes the allegations very very credible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A short review of the 8 episodes in case you want to get caught up without watching it yourself.

(Episodes 1-4) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImKOAd-PEo8

(Episodes 5-8) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tI1P6MCK1QM

Why in the world would anyone need a two part summary of a cooking show? But I clicked through and it looks like that creator just makes anti MM videos so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.

The show is still in the top ten this weekend. That’s a lot of cumulative eyeballs.

It isn't a cooking show. There is very little cooking happening, other than a couple guest chefs. It is about hosting and making gifts and treats and Meghan showing her lifestyle and how she lives her life. She shows you how to blow up a balloon, put fruit on a tray in a shape, put little shovels in bags for kids, put water and tea in a jar, etc,

And she is trying to erase her father as apparently now she wants the world to believe she was raised in poverty by her mother. Except she previously detailed her quite UMC life with her father and documented her mother's absence during long parts of her childhood.

She is so much like Hilaria Baldwin. Kind of funny they both got TV shows at the same time. They should become friends but would probably see each other as competition.

The reality is UMC ladies in the South are the ones who know how to host a party, and old money East Coast types from the north are similarly equipped to play “hostess.”

No clue why anyone would look to a middle class girl from California for tips. Sure, she married a royal—but she wasn’t raised by people versed in such stuff. It’s all very fake.

Plus, the timing is really bad. The world is on fire and I don’t know anyone IRL who has the time to focus on hostessing.

I thought these two were going to be great humanitarian-philanthropists? I guess that doesn’t pay enough.

I think the target audience is people like Meghan. People who didn't grow up being trained into hostessing duties by their Southern or WASPy families, but people who grew up middle class, had parents who didn't care much about hosting or cooking or decorating, but now want to create a different kind of life for their own families. Many, many women are like this. My sister is like this. We had an upbringing probably not that different from Meghan's. We certainly were not schooled in setting a table or being gracious hosts. But my sister is really into this stuff, follows blogs and shows about it, was a Martha Stewart obsessive, and puts a lot of effort into decorating her house, hosting her kids' parties, etc. I have lots of friends from college and grad school like this too.

And to be clear, Martha wasn't raised to be a great hostess either. Watch her documentary. Her family was kind of messed up growing up, she isn't from some upper crust New England family. But she was pretty and smart, got into modeling at a young age which made her more financially independent, and wound up working on Wall Street. That enabled her to marry a guy with money, which enabled her to enter into that world as a caterer, and her empire grew from there. She did learn a lot about cooking from her mom but the world and image Martha projects into the world is one she created as an adult, not one she was born into. And that's one reason I think she was so invested in teaching other people how to do it -- because she taught herself and knew these were skills you could learn and didn't have to be inaccessible to regard middle class people. Learning how to arrange flowers or frost a cake really nicely or present appetizers on a tray in an appealing way is not rocket science.

I have to really challenge this idea that middle class children don't typically learn to host or entertain. I grew up in a middle class, Italian Catholic family outside of New York. (I also entertain a lot now, have for the past 25 years, decorare our house, etc). Our mothers hosted. A lot. Sure, a lot of us read Martha and learned the upper middle class niceties like candles, music, flowers, a well stocked bar, and "tablescapes." But really, opening the house to friends and family, cooking, welcoming everyone, being gracious and kind, serving really good dessert and coffee...that came from watching my mother and my aunts. And I'm sure I am not the only one. I have a lot of issues with the show not seeming real. But the fact that she grew up middle vs upper or was a latchkey kid or not, is irrelevant now. That was a long time ago, she's obviously moved beyond her childhood as many of us do. I just think her past experiences have made her very guarded and hypervigilant, so she lacks the one thing that puts people truly at ease which is..... being at easeas a hostess.

[Anonymous]

* at ease