DIY VIRAL
As we previously reported, Meghan Markle unexpectedly returned to Instagram on New Year's Day.
The Duchess of Sussex posted a video in which she was seen running exuberantly on a beach and scribbling “2025” in the sand with her finger.
Meghan then flashed a quick smile at the camera before walking away, presumably heading to her next carefree adventure.
This was Meghan's first social media post since 2020, and it was clearly meant to show that she's living her best life, without worrying about what the haters have to say.
But as a handful of eagle-eyed haters noted, the moment may not have been as fun and spontaneous as it initially seemed.
Meghan Markle's second take
Meghan didn't allow comments on the post (which was probably the right decision), but elsewhere on social media, countless users have pointed out what appears to be evidence of multiple takes.
As Page six points out that “2025” already seemed to have been written in the sand before Meghan happily approached the water's edge. The numbers are visible written in the sand in the lower left corner.
Of course, it's possible that this was a group outing, and one of Meghan's children also decided to ring in the new year by leaving a temporary mark near the shore.
But that possibility hasn't stopped critics from calling Meghan's video “lame” and “embarrassing.”
There was a time when the Duchess of Sussex probably would have ignored such criticism.
But these days, Meghan is in the middle of a public relations crisis and she would probably prefer to avoid further setbacks.
Meghan's rebranding effort
In 2024, Meghan and Harry are embarking on a “professional separation” by attending many more public events solo than in previous years.
The decision to change course may have been prompted by a series of failed projects and polls that showed the couple's popularity was rapidly declining.
It is too early to say whether the bet paid off. Now, as we enter 2025, Meghan will face several more PR hurdles, including the long-awaited launch of her American lifestyle brand Riviera Orchard.
And according to royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams, the Duchess' return to Instagram is part of a calculated effort to strengthen her brand.
“Meghan's intention in the video is to appear relaxed, confident and, above all, to symbolize the freedom they claim to have found. At the moment, interest in the Sussex brand remains enormous,” he said recently. The daily mail.
“If their multi-million dollar Netflix contract is not extended this year, it would be a disaster for them,” he added.
PR expert Nick Ede took a less cynical view on Meghan's latest fling.
“Meghan has come back to social media, and it's a great way to express her truth,” Ede told the Email.
“She will look back on 2025 as the year she reinvents herself and owns who she is. Using social media as a platform to express her personality and own her story is a positive step for her.
Meghan was a social media star before she and Harry left Instagram in 2020. What if her early successes new account Everything indicates (she already has nearly 900,000 followers) that she will have no trouble regaining her former glory.
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DIY VIRAL
