“Who’s open to change?”

From the start of each episode, Duchess Meghan Markle’s soothing and professional voice greets the listener into her podcast revolving around one of the most important topics in society: Archetypes. 

After a brief introduction to the podcast from my twin sister Tara, I was curious to discover how feminism would be approached through different lights and viewpoints on each episode. With a variety of guests and subtopics, I immediately knew that this podcast would be added to my collection of favorites. 

Throughout the twelve episodes in the first season, Markle features not only celebrities such as Mariah Carey but also young students to share their stories of the sexism they’ve faced. Markle asks the question of how society can work together to break down these archetypes of women and create a world based on equality. 

Even as a strong feminist myself, I was impressed by how much the podcast opened my own mind. Everyone has work to do in reframing the way we think surrounding gender roles and freeing ourselves from our prior presumptions. There are certain phrases and generalizations made every day that consistently place women in a box that they are not supposed to escape, and many of these do so subconsciously. 

Archetypes explains the way in which humans over the generations have built a strong foundation for humanity to live and thrive, but that foundation needs renovation, and everyone can contribute to making the foundation as beautiful and inclusive as possible. 

In the season finale, “Man-ifesting A Cultural Shift,” Markle includes men in the conversation of archetypes because while the podcast is designed to give women a voice, men also need to be involved in the process to fully achieve understanding and change. The three men—Andy Cohen, Judd Apatow, and Trevor Noah—explain how their viewpoints of women have shifted over the years and what other men can do to see the role of women through a different lens. 

Due to their large influence in the media, these men were specifically chosen to share their experiences. I definitely laughed out loud when Trevor Noah, one of my favorite comedians, remarked on how men would never be able to come to work with the suffering that women endure during their periods and how every woman should get a week off from work every month. Furthermore, Noah explained how the archetypes around men should also be torn down due to the toxic masculinity they create, bringing up another valuable point that was discussed in the season finale. 

From the perspective of a podcaster, I greatly enjoyed the intro song of Emmy Meli’s “I AM WOMAN.” In addition, Markle created her own transitions to only include the best segments of each conversation with her guests. This organized aspect fits the personality of Markle perfectly, and I also loved the interjections of various audio clips as media references came up in conversation. 

Overall, Archetypes is a flawless blend of entertainment, education, and empowerment. To anyone looking to broaden their mindset while also listening to valuable conversations, Archetypes is the perfect podcast to listen to.