Meghan Deserves It; And So Do You.
by Jade Singleton, IKONI Co-Founder
As Megyn Kelly seethes in red-faced rage, Meghan of Sussex continues making sunlight tea and picking lavender petals in her Montecito garden. While the UK press turns emerald with envy at the gorgeous, sun-drenched vistas of California, they glare out from their rain-streaked London studios. And I'll say what needs saying: Meghan Markle deserves every bit of this life.
I knew her Netflix show, With Love, Meghan would get the typical haters angry. I also knew that they would blame everything else: Meghan isn’t authentic enough, her pasta isn’t boiled long enough, she uses her right hand too much - whatever.
The scrutiny is never simply about choices when Black women dare to prioritize themselves. It's about deservability. The moment we claim luxury, prioritize our peace, or refuse to participate in our own diminishment, someone clutching their pearls and drafting a mediocre LinkedIn rant questions whether we've earned it. Whether we're being grateful enough. Whether we should be working harder, suffering more visibly, smiling through indignities to make others comfortable with our presence.
Meghan Markle casually dressed, shopping in a farmer’s market.
Let's be crystalline in our clarity—Meghan doesn't just deserve this life. She chose it. She didn't await approval or petition for permission. She assessed an institution steeped in suffocating expectations, recognized its toll on her wellbeing, and walked away. She carved out a life where soft living serves as the foundation, not some distant reward for enduring unnecessary hardship. And this deliberate choice to prioritize herself is precisely what so many of us are now doing—choosing ourselves without apology or explanation.
Soft living isn't a fleeting trend but a necessary revolution. It represents an intentional pivot away from glorified burnout, struggle narratives, and the exhausting cycle of proving our worth. It means allowing ourselves to be deeply loved, properly nourished, and genuinely rested. It's exchanging the burdensome "strong Black woman" trope for the reality that joy is our birthright. And evidently, that simple assertion shakes people to their core. A Black woman at peace? A Black woman living abundantly? How dare we find this so controversial.
But their discomfort isn't our responsibility to manage. Our only obligation is to occupy the space we were always meant to inhabit. To savor our tea, book those flights, schedule those massages, and say no without justification. To bask in sunshine while they rage about our audacity to thrive.
Meghan Markle deserves every moment of her peace.
And so do you.
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