At first it seemed like a dream job: acting as Meghan Markle’s lookalike and raking in big money that way. In a world without corona, British Sarah Mhlanga had long since quit her normal job for it. But since Harry and Meghan’s controversial Oprah interview, Sarah has feared for her lucrative jobs and has even gained enemies.
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It all started when Sarah Mhlanga (38) from Manchester visited Ikea. At that time, Meghan was, in addition to being an actress, ‘only’ Prince Harry’s girlfriend. It was a time when the Duchess of Sussex could do little harm. Everyone was especially captivated by the Suitsstar who had captured not only Harry’s heart, but also that of many fans in America and Great Britain.
Sarah was also a fan. “I admire Meghan for her strong character, her genuine love for Harry and her warmth and kindness to the public, the community and the children,” she said before. Manchester Evening News.
When an employee at the Swedish furniture store remarked that she looked a lot like Meghan Markle, Sarah wasn’t really impressed. But a month later, the world looked completely different. “Harry and Meghan got engaged,” Sarah recalls Closer Magazine. “And after an article about me appeared in the newspaper, I was inundated. Offers for jobs poured in. From royal themed parties to public performances, promotions and TV appearances. It became a madhouse. ”
Number 1 in England
In the run-up to the royal wedding her phone was ringing off the hook and she even thought about quitting her ‘normal’ job. “I had no idea you could make money from looking like someone.” Sarah is also, just like her idol, an actress. “Playing Meghan gradually became my second nature.”
To perfect that, Sarah now has a closet “full of Meghan clothes” and studied footage of the Duchess so that she can imitate her facial expressions and the little tics she has. “I am said to be the number one Meghan lookalike in England.”
(read more below the photo)
–Photo: rr
“War” started
But whether Sarah should still be happy with that? Relationships already changed when Harry and Meghan said goodbye to the British royal family last year. The first hate reports came in. The corona measures also caused the jobs to decline.
And then two weeks ago came Harry and Meghan’s explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey. The American accused someone of the royal family of racism, without mentioning a name. That statement – “there were concerns about Archie’s skin color” – shook the very foundations of the British royal family. Meghan’s claim that she did not receive any support from Buckingham Palace when she was struggling with suicidal thoughts also made sense.
The controversial TV personality Piers Morgan then made it into the show Good morning Britain minced meat from Meghan. Although more than 40,000 complaints quickly poured in and his rant led to his departure from the British morning show, many Britons are taking sides with Morgan. Meghan has betrayed their royal family, it is thought. The American would have “started a war”.
Punching bag
For lookalike Sarah, all of this is also disastrous. Immediately after the interview, the hate reactions began to increase. “Those people who think that Meghan is fighting the royals cannot reach her and so they use me as a punching bag. I would seek attention and, according to them, should be ashamed to “represent” Meghan. They call her “the most hated woman in the world.” And some say I deserve to be destroyed like her if I continue like this. ”
Not only does it hurt Sarah, she also fears it will affect her work at some point. “Soon people will no longer want to hire me. I don’t understand how much hate can be felt for someone they’ve never met. Mind blow.”
Incidentally, there are more women who look more or less like Meghan and have made it a daily activity. Although it does not necessarily yield them anything. For example, Mexican Linda Martinez has already copied a look from Meghan fifty times and even spent eight hundred dollars to obtain the same coat as her idol. The American Akeisha Land also hardly makes any money with it, but can count on the necessary attention since her Instagram followers discovered that she also ‘looks’ like Meghan.
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