Meghan Markle says 'difficult' is 'a code word for the B-word' on new podcast episode

Meghan Markle's Archetypes podcast is back on Spotify this week, with a discussion of the word "bitch" and how its usage affects women.

Speaking to fellow Northwestern University alumna Robin Thede, a writer and comedian, the Duchess of Sussex dissected what she refers to as the "B-word," and the kind of woman it's usually used to put down.

"This word ... it's sadly, for whatever reason, really easy to resort to for a lot of people," Meghan said.

"It's just, it's one of those labels that feels like it's thrown around constantly, and while its usage certainly has undertones that say a lot about the person who's speaking, there's still a specific type of woman who tends to be the recipient."

Robin said: "Even in 2022 and beyond, it's still just used to describe a woman who goes after what she wants, who has an opinion that's different from a man's, you know, who turns you down at the club."

As women, we all know how true Robin's words are.

Meghan summarised it this way: "In other words, I think what Robin's getting at, and what these people are implying when they use that very charged word, is that this woman, oh, she's difficult.

"Which is really just a euphemism, or probably not even a euphemism. It's really a code word for the B-word."

On each episode of Archetypes, the Duchess discusses a different word or concept that is commonly used to insult women or bring them down. So far, she has dissected terms such as "diva," "bimbo," "ambitious" and many more, with the help of incredibly successful women such as Mariah Carey, Serena Williams and Mindy Kaling, among others.

To mark the podcast release, Meghan and Prince Harry's Archewell Foundation is partnering with a number of charitable organisations to help combat gender inequality, including Project Healthy Minds and Global Boyhood Initiative.