Señora Era, The Soft Life & Everything You Need to Know About the With Love Meghan Netflix Series
Search for With Love, Meghan on TikTok (Netflix), and you’ll find yourself on two sides of the app: On one, women watch Meghan’s show to pick apart its apparent millennial cringe-factor, eyes perpetually in the back of their head, or talk about Meghan Markle’s netflix deal – with one even watching it on the toilet (you’ll find lots of UK women on this side). On the other side are women who have nothing but praise for the Duchess.
The series, which showcases Meghan engaging in domestic activities like cooking and crafting, has been met with criticism from too many media outlets: The Hollywood Reporter labeled the show “oddly-timed and unrelatable,” while The Guardian described it as “pointless” and suggested that the royal couple should reconsider their Netflix deal
What Happened?
Many of these women on the supportive side are making the simple but signature dishes she makes on the Netflix series – like the infamous one pot spaghetti, criticized for being overly simple, or her gorgeous focaccia.
Many of the women who were originally supporting Meghan on TikTok were Black Women, who are showing their endorsement by holding up their pricey Le Creuset.
Some of her supporters even began showing off their Le Creuset products were a strong message to people who don’t see them as “worthy” of owning its pricey products. Some suggested that pushback and critiques were based solely on the fact that Meghan, a woman of color, doesn’t deserve the “soft life,” a term coined online that’s defined as a lifestyle showing ease, comfort and minimal stress.
“You only like it when certain women from a certain background are living the soft life,” said one creator.
Some of the chatter brought up an infamous event from 2020, when a creator suggested she would delete her instagram after seeing a photo of a women having a nice time on her fabulous grounds of her property due to the fact that it was during the pandemic. That woman, who happened to be a Black Woman, also happened to be famous Hill House Vintage founder, author and gorgeous home and influencer Paula Sutton.
So what does With Love Meghan on Netflix have to do with the soft life, or señora era?
Señora Era emphasizes creating peace in your life and your home, embracing balance and a strong boundary between your work self and your personal self, prioritizing self-care and nurturing your creativity in whatever way makes you happy. It’s also about nurturing community, family, and creating routines and habits that just make your life better.
It’s about creating a life that you want to create – and not some concept of who you should be because of where you come from. It’s about not feeling guilty to take some time to yourself; to want to create a special dish from scratch; to feel like starting a veggie garden just because. To not answer work emails on Saturday night and instead bask in the splendor of a special self-care routine.
When we talked to Hispanic Executive about our book, we brought up how it serves as a reminder that rest and slowing down are an important part of your well-being; a resistance to the mindset called hustle culture that basically tells you that happiness is tied to how productive you are.
And make no mistake, you can be in your soft life whilst still bossing it up at work. The difference is that you’re doing it with an eye for balance and not allowing anyone to take advantage of your time or talent.
It may even be the one thing that we are all missing in our lives right now. So, if you need me, I’ll be making some focaccia bread with some sourdough discard.
