Society is too quick to ‘gaslight’ women over health concerns, dubbing them ’emotional’, ‘crazy’ or even ‘hysterical’, Meghan Markle has told listeners tuning into the latest episode of her Archetypes podcast.Â
In the 55-minute podcast, entitled The Decoding of Crazy, the Duchess of Sussex, 41, referenced how her close friend, retired tennis star Serena Williams, also 41, was told by a nurse following the birth of her daughter Olympia, now five, that she was ‘talking crazy’ after expressing fears of blood clots.
Markle said the concerns raised by Williams, who had previously suffered from blood clots, turned out to be true, but it took ‘too long’ for her to be taken seriously.
The fifth episode of Archetypes podcast, The Decoding of Crazy, saw the Duchess of Sussex, right, reference how close friend Serena Williams, left, wasn’t listened to over blood clot fears after the birth of her daughter Olympia, now five, center
Markle said when her friend had asked for a CT scan after feeling unwell, a nurse told the tennis star: ‘I think all this medicine is making you talk crazy.’
The latest episode of the Archetypes podcast saw Markle interviewing Deepika Padukone, Jenny Slate and Constance Wu.
She also interviewed comedian Aparna Nancherla, and the pair discussed medical gaslighting, saying many women’s fears were dismissed by healthcare professionals.
The Duchess explained, saying: ‘I think about my friend Serena Williams and what happened shortly after she gave birth to her daughter Olympia.
‘Now Serena has a history of blood clots and she was feeling awful after her C-section. In so much pain. She was short of breath and she was beginning to lose feeling in her legs.’
She said when the retired tennis star asked for a CT scan, a nurse told her: ‘I think all this medicine is making you talk crazy.’
Markle goes on in the episode to say that Williams ‘knew her body’, and that a subsequent scan found that she did have clots.
She says: ‘And thankfully, she did finally get the life-saving attention that she needed. But my goodness, it took far too long. Long for her to be listened to and it’s like that for so many women, particularly women of color the stakes with this, they’re huge.’
