Meghan Markle has revealed that early in her career, she was told she could not work in beauty advertising because her freckles were not considered desirable.
Speaking on her podcast Confessions of a Female Founder, in an episode featuring IT Cosmetics founder Jamie Kern Lima, the Duchess of Sussex recalled advice she received from industry agents while pursuing modelling work before her acting breakthrough.
“I remember I could not be submitted for beauty or skin care ads because I had freckles” Markle said.
“They're like, ‘No, no, no, no. It’s just never gonna work because freckles aren't a sign of beauty’.”
The Duchess, who has previously spoken about her commitment to natural beauty, also discussed how her mixed-race identity affected her opportunities in the entertainment industry.
“I heard no all the time, especially because I wasn't cookie-cutter for a specific type,” she said.
“And at the start of my auditioning career, you were either the Black girl or the white girl or the Latina girl or the like, everything was typecast.”
The 43-year-old rose to prominence playing Rachel Zane on the hit legal drama Suits, appearing on the series from 2011 until 2018, when she stepped away following her relationship with Prince Harry.
The Duchess has long championed authentic beauty and representation.
In a 2017 Allure interview, she stated: “To this day, my pet peeve is when my skin tone is changed and my freckles are airbrushed out.”
Her natural look at her 2018 royal wedding, which highlighted her freckles, drew praise for its simplicity and departure from royal beauty conventions.
During her guest edit of British Vogue in 2019, Markle reportedly instructed photographer Peter Lindbergh to avoid digitally altering the faces of the 15 women featured on the cover, asking specifically for their freckles to remain visible.
In 2018, the demand for facial sprinkles of colour solidified, as Google searches for ‘freckles’ surged by 47% in the 24 hours around the royal wedding.
‘Meghan Markle freckles’ searches grew by 100% in one year; with consumers from the UK, Canada, South Africa and Australia the most interested in her look.
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