"Crazy": Meghan Markle Takes on This and Other Labels That Stigmatize Women on her Archetypes Podcast

I listened to Duchess Meghan's Podcast "The Decoding of Crazy."  

"Crazy" and "hysterical" are two words that are thrown around quite liberally and the Duchess decided to take on these words which have become labels for women in the global society.

Apparently, because women have a womb, they are stereotyped as being more likely to become "hysterical" and "crazy," in the minds of men (and some women) - and this goes back to antiquity. Duchess Meghan is not having it. Certainly, she is not taking it without a comeback. She talks about the stigma and silencing effect of being labeled as "crazy" and "hysterical." 

One of her guests Constance Wu opened up about her own experiences in the film industry and acknowledges how these labels and stereotypes led her to attempt suicide at one point. The Duchess reminded her listeners that everyone has their own mental health journey and that it is different for everyone and that it is important that we give ourselves permission to cry, to let it out, and to speak openly and freely about our mental health journey.

 She acknowledges that having a thick skin is vitally important to coping with a lot of the rejection that could lead some people to behave in a way that ultimately gets them labeled as "crazy" or "hysterical," etcetera. At the same time, she also acknowledges that sometimes having a thick skin is not enough and that it is okay to ask for help. 

Of course, she also pointed out that a big part of the problem is that women are not listened to when they complain about their symptoms and this could inhibit their healing process. 

It is a great podcast, and I think a great resource for people who are on their own mental health journey. I really admire Meghan for continuing to push forward with this podcast given the way every word is analyzed by her haters.  Of course, the critics went berserk, as they always do, ripping apart every syllable of every word she uttered. But the Duchess clearly is not going to be silenced. She has made it her mission to continue to provide women with all sorts of resources to improve their lives.

Bravo, Meghan.

image credit flickr creative commons