When Meghan Markle walked into the Time 100 Summit in New York City wearing a tailored Ralph Lauren suit, she wasn’t just attending a panel—she was walking into a narrative already weaponized against her. The social media aftermath, particularly from tabloid-fueled forums, reveals less about the Duchess of Sussex’s choices and more about a public still struggling to let go of its favorite scapegoat.

Let’s be clear: Meghan is not new to scrutiny. But what’s striking about this latest round of backlash isn’t the critique of her fashion (a familiar refrain) or the endless comparisons to Princess Catherine (another old tune). What’s telling is how little she has to do to spark outrage. She simply exists—dressed, speaking, smiling—and it’s enough to ignite thousands of comments, many of them venomous, mocking, and obsessive in tone.

One of the loudest refrains: “Has anyone ever been so famous for doing so little?” The irony, of course, is that the people asking that question have spent hours online dissecting a woman’s trousers and projecting entire personality disorders onto her sleeve length. It’s not Meghan who’s obsessed with Meghan—it’s the public that can’t look away.

Fashion commentary was less about aesthetics and more about humiliation. Her suit was called “a sack,” her style “cheap,” and her proportions “wrong” for designer clothes. These criticisms aren’t about clothes. They are about control. Meghan Markle doesn’t “stay in her lane”—she speaks, leads, takes up space. For some, that is unforgivable.

The most repeated narrative of all? Prince Harry is “just a spare again.” But that storyline doesn’t hold up under real scrutiny. Harry’s posture at the summit—attentive, supportive, and present—was not a weakness. It is partnership. Letting your spouse lead where she is the invited speaker isn’t “emasculating”; it’s gracious, evolved, and frankly what any strong couple should do. It’s also consistent with Harry’s own statements about valuing purpose over protocol.

This idea that Meghan “emasculates” Harry has deep, misogynistic roots. When a woman is confident and public-facing, she’s a “narcissist.” When her partner supports her, he’s “whipped.” This has nothing to do with their actual marriage and everything to do with how society still bristles at a woman who doesn’t apologize for her ambition—or her platform.

And about that platform—Meghan was at the Time 100 Summit, a space reserved for influencers, changemakers, and thought leaders. Not because she “married into royalty,” but because she’s leveraged her visibility into philanthropy, media production, and advocacy—on everything from maternal health to digital rights. This is not a woman clinging to relevance. She’s building her own version of it.

The most revealing part of this firestorm wasn’t the mockery itself but the pettiness behind it. Comments about the shade of her hands, accusations of attention-seeking, snide remarks about her children’s dental milestones—these aren’t critiques. They’re projections of discomfort with a woman who refuses to play quiet, agreeable, and small.

This isn’t just about Meghan Markle. It’s about how society treats women who don’t shrink to fit. It’s about a public unwilling to accept that a biracial American woman could walk into a room, take the microphone, and not ask permission.

If Meghan Markle is the lightning rod, it’s only because some would rather shout at the storm than face what it reveals.