Can people just let Meghan Markle live? The former Suits actor attended an event wearing a sleeveless dress yesterday, a choice that's attracted a wide variety of absurd negative attention.
At yesterday's Commonwealth Youth Forum in London (where the temperature was around 25C), Markle wore a strappy pinstripe midi dress by Altuzarra, with a blazer by Camilla and Marc draped over her shoulders, which she took off once inside. An appropriate and unremarkable outfit for an uncharacteristically warm spring day, you might think.
But no. Online, on both Twitter and Instagram, Markle has been criticised for both having, and exposing, her shoulders. While it's not common for royals to show their shoulders during official engagements, the reaction to Markle's skin has been disproportionate to say the least.
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Beneath an Instagram post with a picture from the event posted on Kensington Palace's official account, a dispiritingly large number of people vented their disapproval at her outfit choice, with many making jibes about her "commoner" status, dubbing her an "attention seeker" and saying should would've looked more at home at Coachella. "I'm no fashionista but shouldn't her shoulders be covered? Seems a tad underdressed for the occasion," said @melissacolbourne.
This is why the royal family should not marry commoners. This dress is so .... so .... not appropriate, to say it nicely.
— Game Theory (@MsGameTheory) April 18, 2018
"Her dress does not seem appropriate for the occasion. She looks like the odd one out who didn't get the dress code memo!!," said user @makeup_by_zumra.
LMAO Nutmeg did not get the memo, she thinks she is attending coachella or a party???
— keisha san (@striamia) April 18, 2018
Meanwhile, @alevonen had some even more prescriptive words: "The Brits know how to dress to the occasion and very rarely bare their arms in a sundress unless on vacation. This dress would look appropriate with a blazer on but not on the shoulders."
Many also took the opportunity to compare Markle to her soon-to-be sister-in-law Kate Middleton. "Kate is better than Meghan. Kate always [dressed] appropriate with the event. Formal or non formal. I think Meghan should learn from Kate how to dress [for] formal [events]," @ambuafifah wrote.
Another said: "Even in denim, Catherine walks and carries herself with poise and confidence and her clothes actually have a good fit on her. Meghan slouches and her clothes always look about 2 sizes bigger than they should."
However, many leapt to Markle's defence by reminding them that we are in 2018 and yes, women have shoulders. Some also drew attention to the fact that the Queen 'bared' her shoulders many times as a younger woman, as did Princess Diana, and Kate Middleton more recently.
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I dunno. The Queen seems to be baring a whole lot of shoulder in those dresses. One doesn't even have straps! ? Scandalous! pic.twitter.com/Aq9nfr7XA5
— Cthomasgirl (@cthomasgirl) April 18, 2018
Instagram users @litzie_lipmen, pointed out: "You know, Princess Diana wore a lot of off the shoulder or shoulder less [dresses]."
For all the haters screami@g about Meghan's bare arms, what you're saying about this ? pic.twitter.com/myFm67Y4ws
— Madinina (@YLAUPA) April 18, 2018
Meanwhile, @maddylaboyy argued that "People who say MM [dressed] inappropriately by exposing her shoulders or [that] she is not dressing royal [are] full of crap because Princess Diana bared her shoulders all the time.... If you hate her because she is mixed [race, that] is one thing but don’t pick apart everything she does or wears."
On 8th November 2016, Price Harry released an unprecedented public statement addressing the treatment of Markle in the national press and online. It read: "Meghan Markle has been subject to a wave of abuse and harassment. Some of this has been very public - the smear on the front page of a national newspaper; the racial undertones of comment pieces; and the outright sexism and racism of social media trolls and web article comments."
The statement ended with a plea to "pause and reflect before any further damage is done", but that looks unlikely in now as the couple's wedding day on Saturday, 19th May approaches.
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