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Bethenny Frankel has a theory on why Meghan Markle’s lifestyle company is receiving heat.
In a video posted to TikTok Thursday, the “Real Housewives of New York City” alum weighed in on the Duchess of Sussex’s decision to rename her American Riviera Orchard company to As Ever, claiming Markle is struggling with an “identity issue.”
“Meghan Markle can’t win for losing,” Frankel, 54, said bluntly in the nearly three-minute rant.
Frankel shared a TikTok video Thursday weighing in on the Duchess of Sussex’s latest business move. bethennyfrankel/TikTok “I think the reason she can’t win for losing is that there is a lack of identity and understanding as to exactly who she is to the audience,” Frankel said. bethennyfrankel/TikTokFrankel claimed that viewers were annoyed that Markle looked “Martha Stewart perfect” in the trailer for her forthcoming Netflix cooking show, “With Love, Meghan,” while being equally upset when she looked “super all-natural” in her video announcing the rebrand earlier this week.
“I think the reason she can’t win for losing is that there is a lack of identity and understanding as to exactly who she is to the audience,” the reality TV star argued.
The Skinnygirl founder pointed out that initially, Markle had leaned into her “perfect” Montecito aesthetic.
Frankel said Markle’s “super all-natural” video was very different from the perfect image she had in her Netflix promotional video. @meghan/Instagram “Commit to the bit,” Frankel urged. @meghan/Instagram“Which would have been fine — commit to the bit,” Frankel said, noting that Markle and her husband, Prince Harry, live in a $14 million mansion in the ritzy Santa Barbara, Calif., town. “It is pretty prestigious so commit to that bit.”
However, Frankel said that because Markle received a “reaction” from consumers, Markle wanted to present herself “more natural” with “really unfiltered, fresh out of bed content.”
Frankel believes the switch-up is “turning people off” because now viewers are wondering where the “perfect content” went.
The Bravolebrity asserted that Markle, 43, and the Duke of Sussex, 40, have “never been able to get their footing” after leaving the monarchy in 2020.
Markle announced that she was changing the name of her American Rivera Orchard company to As Ever this week. As Ever She debuted her first As Ever product launch with a mood board in an Instagram Post Thursday. @meghan/Instagram “It’s hard for people to be authentic when they’re not really sure on their own who they are or what it is,” Frankel said of Markle. / SplashNews.com“There’s an identity issue, like, who she used to be pre-royal, to who she wants to be post-royal, what [Prince Harry’s] role was as royal, to what his role is now as a post-royal,” she said.
Frankel continued on, arguing that Markle didn’t have a “branding issue” — rather the problems stemmed from an “identity and an authenticity issue.”
“It’s hard for people to be authentic when they’re not really sure on their own who they are or what it is,” Frankel said. “And you can never let the market decide what you do or what you sell or what you produce.”
Frankel thinks that Markle and Harry are so desperate to be liked and accepted that they are “flailing” and it “never lands” with the public.
The Bravolebrity said Markle and Prince Harry have “never been able to get their footing” after leaving the monarchy. / SplashNews.com “There’s an identity issue, like, who she used to be pre-royal, to who she wants to be post-royal, what his role was as royal, to what his role is now as a post-royal,” she said of the couple. MEGAWant more celebrity and pop culture news?
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“You guys are just too emotionally intelligent and too good at branding, marketing and just understanding the human psyche,” Frankel said. “Nothing ever gets past you guys.”
This week, Markle announced the rebrand of her lifestyle company just weeks before the debut of her Netflix series. She allegedly changed the name due to several trademark issues.
The move has seemingly backfired as several people have been critical of the rebrand.
A clothing company founded in 2015 called As Ever has slammed Markle for using their name, despite not having a trademark for it. Additionally, a Spanish mayor claimed Markle’s As Ever logo was an exact copy of her small town’s coat of arms.
Markle’s As Ever logo was slammed earlier this week. As Ever She initially debuted jam jars as a product of her lifestyle company last year. @heatherdorak/InstagramA source assured Page Six this week that Markle’s As Ever company is a lifestyle brand and will not be selling clothing.
Markle announced that she was founding a lifestyle brand last March and soft-launched the endeavor the following month with the company’s first product: a jar of jam.
A trademark application obtained by Page Six Style at the time revealed Markle’s plans to hawk a range of home goods including edible treats like jellies, jams and spreads, tableware staples like cutlery, table linens and drinkware, as well as cookbooks.
