Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are reportedly looking to take a so-called “gender fluid” approach in raising their yet-to-be-born royal baby.
Markle, 37, has opted for a completely gender-neutral nursery and will avoid any “gender stereotypes” when raising their child, which reports indicate is a boy, as reported Vanity Fair on Thursday.
“Meghan has been talking to some of her friends about the birth and how she and Harry plan to raise their baby. Her exact word was fluid. She said they plan to raise their child with a fluid approach to gender and they won’t be imposing any stereotypes,” a source told the outlet.
“The duchess is understood to have told at least one friend that they want to raise their baby without gender-stereotyping, which means the nursery might not be filled with toy trains and cars if it is a boy. The Sussexes have already planned a gender-neutral nursery and opted for whites and grays over conventional blue and pink color ways, and this seems to be in line with Meghan’s ideas about how to raise children,” Vanity Fair reported.
Markle “plans to pursue an empowering, modern parenting style,” gushed the outlet.
Boasting of a so-called “gender fluid” approached in parenting has become trendy in the likes of Hollywood. Last month, actress Kate Hudson said she was planning on raising her three-month-old daughter Rani “genderless.” The Daily Wire reported:
Hudson told AOL.com, “It doesn’t really change my approach, but there’s definitely a difference. I think you just raise your kids individually regardless – like a genderless [approach].”
“We still don’t know what she’s going to identify as,” added the “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” star.
“I will say that, right now, she is incredibly feminine in her energy, her sounds and her way,” she continued. “It’s very different from the boys, and it’s really fun to actually want to buy kids’ clothes.”
After swift backlash, Hudson somewhat reconfigured her statement on social media. “Me saying a ‘genderless approach’ was a way of refocusing the conversation in a direction that could exist outside of the female stereotype. It just felt a little antiquated to me. Not all girls want to be a princess, some want to be a king. And that’s fine by me,” she wrote, adding, “I raise and will continue to raise my children, both my boys and girl to feel free to be exactly who they want to be. To feel confident in their life choices and feel loved and supported no matter what.”
Other Hollywood celebrities, such as singer “Pink” and actress and Angelina Jolie, have similarly opted for gender-neutral parenting. In 2017, actor Liev Schreiber turned heads when his eight-year-old son was dressed as Harley Quinn for Comic-Con. The child was dressed in ripped fishnet stockings, short shorts, makeup, and had red and purple hair extensions worn in pigtails.
According to Fox News, Markle had a “lavish baby shower at the Upper East Side hotel The Mark” that was organized by tennis star and close friend Serena Williams.
The royal baby is expected in the spring.