Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, has returned to Instagram with the launch of her lifestyle brand American Riviera Orchard.
The brand's Instagram account already has 212,000 followers, even though the only image is a hand-drawn gold logo on a white background.
Given the growing popularity of “breadcrumb” marketing, Markle was careful not to reveal too much about her brand.
In an elusive Instagram post on her main page, she published a grainy video that included images of flowers, cooking clips and shots of herself in a long, floor-length gown. Nancy Wilson's song “I Wish You Love” plays eerily in the background.
The caption reads: “The Duchess of Sussex returns to Instagram with the launch of her new brand American Riviera Orchard website.”
Markle hasn't disclosed what the brand will sell, but a filing with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office says it will sell several “products and services,” including tableware, cookbooks, cutlery, napkin rings, and coffee and tea services. ” has been shown to be subject to flogging.
The nature of this ad reflects the “trad wife” subculture that has become popular in recent years on social media sites such as TikTok and Instagram.
At the lighter end of the spectrum, the tradwife trend is characterized by women finding joy in everyday domestic tasks traditionally associated with women, such as baking, household crafts, and gardening. On the dark side of this trend, traditional wife influencers talk about the importance of submitting to one's husband and acting only in traditionally feminine ways.
One of the movement's most popular influencers, Ballerina Farm's Hannah Neeleman, has more than 8.8 million followers.
She regularly posts clips of her baking while caring for eight children. She capitalizes on her extensive following by selling products made on the farm to a global audience.