There’s something achingly wabi-sabi about Meghan Markle.

Not the brand. Not the gloss. Not even the curated Instagram-perfect moments. But the woman underneath—the one who’s been broken open by life, by scrutiny, by systems too old to bend. The one who is, against all odds, still trying to create something beautiful.

Her new Netflix show—a soft-focus dive into lifestyle, wellness, and the art of intentional living—has once again stirred backlash. The usual headlines are already in rotation: too curated, too calculated, too much. But that criticism misses the point.

Because what Meghan is doing now isn’t about perfection. It’s about reconstruction. About finding grace in the chaos. About making meaning from fracture. That’s wabi-sabi.

A History Written in Headlines

It’s easy to forget that Meghan was already a successful actress, humanitarian, and women’s advocate before her royal engagement. But the institution of monarchy tends to rewrite history, and when Meghan joined “The Firm,” she became property of the public imagination. The narrative was no longer hers.

The couple’s 2020 “exit” from royal life (the now-infamous “Megxit”) was framed by tabloids as a betrayal, a tantrum, or a publicity stunt. But their subsequent moves—securing high-profile deals with Spotify, Netflix, and Penguin Random House—signaled a long game: Meghan and Harry weren’t stepping back from the spotlight. They were taking control of it.

Many would’ve disappeared after that. But Meghan did something different. She didn’t try to restore the broken fairytale. She started a new chapter.

And it’s messy. It’s complicated. It’s real.

And now, with Meghan’s new Netflix series—reportedly centred around lifestyle, home, and conscious living—critics are once again sharpening their knives. They accuse her of being tone-deaf, irrelevant, and overly polished. But behind the glossy production and aesthetic branding lies a bigger play.

What She’s Really Building

Meghan’s latest project isn’t just another celebrity lifestyle brand. It’s a living mood board of intentionality. It’s about slow mornings, chosen rituals, reclaimed identity. The things that soften our sharp edges.

It’s easy to see the surface: the California sun, the flower arrangements, the clean counters. But the substance lies underneath: a woman choosing to re-enter the world on her own terms, after being shattered by it.

There’s a Japanese proverb: kintsugi, the art of repairing broken pottery with gold. The idea is that the cracks become part of the story, not something to hide. Meghan’s doing that—visibly, publicly—every time she creates something new. It’s not always polished. But it’s purposeful.

Why the Backlash?

Meghan is supposed to be either a victim or a villain. When she chooses neither, when she builds something from the middle space, she disrupts expectations. That disruption looks a lot like empowerment. And empowerment, in a world built to keep people in their place, often looks like rebellion.

But that’s the beauty of wabi-sabi: it asks us to accept what’s raw, evolving, and unfinished. Meghan’s story isn’t a comeback—it’s a continuous becoming.

The Real Message

We believe in the sacred imperfection of being human. In the slow, unfiltered, often uncomfortable path to wholeness. Meghan Markle, whether she intends to or not, embodies that journey. Her Netflix show might not land for everyone—but it’s an act of presence. Of visibility. Of claiming the space to exist as a layered, complicated woman in a world that prefers simple headlines.

And if that isn’t wabi-sabi, we don’t know what is.