Multiple meanings. Meghan Markle had Mariah Carey on her podcast and they did not hold back. Mariah appeared on the second episode of Meghan’s Spotify podcast Archetypes and the two talked about what it meant to be a “diva.”
Meghan recalled that she “didn’t connect” to being a diva. To which Mariah responded, “You give us diva moments sometimes, Meghan!” The “We Belong Together” singer clarified, “It’s the visual. A lot of it’s the visual. Let’s pretend that you weren’t so beautiful and didn’t have the whole thing and didn’t often have gorgeous ensembles. You wouldn’t get maybe as much diva-styling.”
Meghan was startled by her comment before Mariah explained herself. “It stopped me in my tracks, when she called me a diva. You couldn’t see me obviously, but I started to sweat a little bit. I started squirming in my chair in this private revolt,” The Duchess of Sussex said. “My mind genuinely was just spinning with what nonsense she must have read or clicked on to make her say that. I just kept thinking in that moment, ‘Was my girl crush coming to a quick demise? Does she actually not see me?’”
RELATED: Click Here For the Best New Binge-Worthy Shows You Haven’t Seen—But Should
She then cleared up Mariah’s meaning which was to be endearing to the Archewell founder. “When she said diva, she was talking about the way that I dress, the posture, the clothing, the quote-unquote ‘fabulousness’ as she sees it. She meant diva as a compliment, but I heard it as a dig,” Meghan said. “She meant it as chic, as aspirational.”
When Meghan asked if Mariah saw “diva” as a “compliment or criticism,” Mariah said that she felt like the word was “both.” She revealed that the word had duality. “People take it as a compliment now—some people, and then some people take it as, ‘Oh she’s such a diva.” She continued and explained that she always took the meaning in regards to opera since her mother was an opera singer. “I know the origin of the word, but then I know as I was growing up like I said, my mom was going, talking about a friend or something: ‘So-and-so is very much the diva.’ I didn’t know if that was bad [or] good—that’s how she spoke,” she said. “It’s very much the grandeur of it all is what I envisioned.”
Mariah went on to say how the word grew on to her. “As things evolved the past whatever—20 years, I don’t know numbers—it became like: a diva for me, they mean, you’re a successful woman usually,” she explained. “It’s not okay for you to be a boss. It’s not okay for you to be a strong woman. You should be diminutive.” She continued, “The diva thing evolved and it continues to evolve, and I play with it. It’s for laughs, I’m wearing this because I like how it looks. I don’t care. It’s so overused now. Like, ‘she’s the cupcake diva!’ I think they use it as a throwaway adjective.”
Meghan launched Archetypes on August 23, 2022, to talk about topics close to celebrities’ hearts. On her first episode with special guest Serena Williams, she talked about an instance where her son Archie’s room was on fire during her and Harry’s visit to Africa. In a new interview with The Cut, Meghan also revealed that she might return to Instagram. She told the outlet, “Do you want to know a secret? I’m getting back…on Instagram.”
Image: Courtesy of Dey Street Books.
For more about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s time in the British royal family, read Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand’s New York Times bestseller, Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family. The book tells all on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s relationship, from how they met to their wedding to the birth of their son, Archie. Finding Freedom also dives into the “true story” of why Harry and Meghan left the royals at the end of 2019 and moved to the United States amid their secret drama with their family. Consisting of interviews and accounts with Harry and Meghan’s closest confidants, Finding Freedom is a must-read for any royal follower.
Our mission at STYLECASTER is to bring style to the people, and we only feature products we think you’ll love as much as we do. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission of the sale.
Image: Getty Images. Design: Sasha Purdy/STYLECASTER.