Meghan Markle talks about many things in her new Harper’s Bazaar feature, but none as much as a desire for authenticity.
The Duchess of Sussex, 44, is ‘pursuing a life and career that feel authentic to her’, writer Kaitlyn Greenidge notes in the cover story of the magazine’s latest edition.
Meghan tells her interviewer ‘there’s no such thing as perfect’, that she has a distaste for things that ‘feel overly realised’, and that she is shunning ‘external judgement’ in favour of ‘authenticity’.
It explains why Meghan went bare-faced for the shoot, with the Duchess wearing what appears to be little or no makeup in the striking, black-and-white image that covers the December/January ‘art’ issue.
But this literal interpretation may have backfired, because Meghan’s au naturel appearance has reignited claims she is ‘copying’ Pamela Anderson.
‘Is this supposed to be like the Pamela Anderson going makeup-free iconic moment?’ one person wrote on X/Twitter. ‘This is not going to go well for Meghan, I’m afraid.’
It has been over two years since Anderson, now 58, went makeup-free at Paris Fashion Week as actress Jamie Lee Curtis declared ‘the natural beauty revolution has officially begun’.
Now it appears Meghan is also fighting for the cause, but the pared-back look for her first magazine cover in seven years has also left fans wondering whether it is another subtle nod to Pamela.
Meghan went bare-faced for her recent Harper’s Bazaar cover shoot, with the Duchess wearing what appears to be little or no makeup in the striking, black-and-white image that covers the December/January ‘art’ issue
Meghan’s au naturel appearance has reignited claims she is going the Pamela Anderson way by ditching full glam for freckles
The comparisons first began in March when Meghan unveiled the first official trailer for her Netflix cooking show, With Love.
Soon after, some eagle-eyed viewers pointed out that the Duchess’s teaser looked like a ‘straight copy’ of Anderson’s lifestyle programme that was released six months before Meghan’s.
Frustrated fans pointed out how both shows had similar aesthetics, wardrobes, and titles, with Pamela’s series called Cooking with Love.
However, others defended the Duchess and insisted the release dates and tight production schedules could only mean any similarities were coincidental rather than deliberate – before Pamela also brushed off any suggestions of similarities.
The openings of both trailers showed their hosts walking in a garden while admiring the produce, before inviting guests and chefs into their kitchens to enjoy delicious meals.
Even the language they used to describe their shows was similar – much like how Meghan’s messages of authenticity in the Harper’s Bazaar profile echoed Pamela’s own affirmations of self-love when she made her makeup-free debut.
If Pamela spoke of ‘self-acceptance’ and embracing her natural self without the pressure of Hollywood’s beauty standards, Meghan told the magazine she was rejecting ‘external judgement’ at this stage of her life.
The comparisons began in March when Meghan unveiled the first official trailer for her Netflix cooking show, With Love
some eagle-eyed viewers pointed out that the Duchess’s teaser looked like a ‘straight copy’ of Anderson’s lifestyle programme that was released six months before Meghan’s
She explained: ‘I think the moment that you start making all of your personal decisions based on external judgment, then you lose your authenticity.’
If Pamela declared she was tired of ‘playing characters in my personal life’, Meghan’s interview referenced ‘years of others attempting to fit her into their narratives’ in what reads like a subtle dig at the Royal Family.
Ultimately, some fans argued, the minimalist cover image, which showed Meghan perched on top of a stool as she modelled a plunging, black Dior suit, suggested the Duchess is firmly in her ‘Pamela Anderson era’.
One comment on X read: ‘I think Meghan Markle was trying to be Pamela Anderson this time?!’
Criticising the cover, another added: ‘Perhaps she was going for a vulnerable look or attempting the no-makeup look, thus emulating Pamela Anderson, as ever? It’s giving the absolute wrong impression/look.’
A third pointed out that when Meghan made her Paris Fashion Week debut at Balenciaga’s show, she also opted for a barely-there makeup look that harked back to Pamela’s 2023 appearance at the same event.
‘I just realised that Meghan Markle’s “look” in Paris at the fashion show was copying Pamela Anderson’s minimalistic “glow”,’ they wrote.
Meghan made a surprise appearance in the French capital last month when she was spotted front row at Balenciaga’s Spring/Summer’ 26 showcase as a gesture of support for her friend, then-newly appointed creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli.
Meghan’s pared-back look for her first magazine cover in seven years has also left fans wondering whether it is another subtle nod to Pamela.
It has been over two years since Anderson, now 58, went makeup-free at Paris Fashion Week as actress Jamie Lee Curtis declared ‘the natural beauty revolution has officially begun’
The first time Meghan went totally makeup-free for a public appearance was Jamie Kern Lima’s podcast in April this year
Writing on X, one social media user pointed out that when Meghan made her Paris Fashion Week debut at Balenciaga’s show, she also opted for a barely-there makeup look that harked back to Pamela’s 2023 appearance
She donned two custom looks for her whirlwind Paris trip, but took a more modest approach to her makeup look.
Decoding the secrets of her ‘glowy’ complexion, Meghan’s makeup artist and long-term best friend Daniel Martin emphasised the importance of skin prep at the time.
While Meghan was not completely makeup-free, Daniel added that he wanted to create a look that was ‘light, fresh, and radiant‘.
Daniel, who also created Meghan’s wedding look in 2018, added: ‘When you come from fashion like I do, it’s not about the makeup, it’s about just looking beautiful, radiant, polished.’
The first time Meghan went totally makeup-free for a public appearance was Jamie Kern Lima’s podcast in April this year.
The mother-of-two, who usually opts for a soft, bronzed look, defined brows, a subtle smoky eye, and a nude lip, sat down with the founder of IT Cosmetics to talk about her lifestyle brand As Ever, her motherhood journey, and self-improvement.
At one point, she broke down in tears as she read out a letter from her children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, before adding: ‘I wasn’t expecting this, they’re just so great.
‘This is why it’s so nice to have no makeup on, thank you.’
Reacting to Meghan’s minimalist cover image for Harper’s Bazaar, some people suggested the Duchess is firmly in her ‘Pamela Anderson era’
In her first magazine cover since she married Prince Harry, the Duchess gushed ‘no one in the world loves me more than him’.
Speaking with her hand held to her heart when describing the Duke of Sussex, 41, Meghan said: ‘He loves me so boldly, fully, and he also has a different perspective because he sees media that I wouldn’t.
‘No one in the world loves me more than him, so I know he’s always going to make sure that he has my back. You have someone who just has this childlike wonder and playfulness. I was so drawn to that, and he brought that out in me’.
Elsewhere, it was revealed that Meghan is announced like royalty to her guests.
The author of the profile, Ms Greenidge explained that the interview was conducted in two parts at the Beverly Hills Hotel and at the home of one of Meghan’s unnamed friends.
‘When I enter, the house manager announces, “Meghan, Duchess of Sussex,” even though we appear to be the only other two people in the house,’ Ms Greenidge noted, with a sense of bemusement.
She also reflected on juggling her personal life as a mother to Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet with her business ventures, including her lifestyle brand As Ever, as Meghan declared ‘I, too, get to make mistakes’.
Discussing learning from imperfect moments, she shared: ‘You learn not to do it again.
‘If it all goes swimmingly, you don’t learn from it. If you don’t learn anything, you’re not going to grow.’
‘I’m a mom with kids at that age where they are constantly learning something new. I watch them face things that feel completely insurmountable every day.
‘But you can remember and say, “I know it seems really hard right now, but trust me, that’s going to come so easily soon”. I can give myself the same grace as a founder. There’s no such thing as perfect. I, too, get to make mistakes.’
