For weeks now, ITV’s Lorraine has been running a competition to find the UK’s best Meghan Markle look-alike.
The contest, named the #MarkleSparkle competition, saw British women compete to win a year-long contract with a look-alike agency. And, the excitement of looking more like Prince Harry’s girlfriend than anyone else in the country, supposedly.
And just this morning, the winner of the heated competition was announced live on the breakfast show.
19-year-old Emma from Cardiff was crowned as the most like Miss. Markle. She said, “Thank you so much! It’s an honour, a surprise, it’s incredible. I hope I do it justice.”
Congratulations to the winner of our #MarkleSparkle competition, Emma! 👑 https://t.co/X0thkOzTEs pic.twitter.com/X5Ig6wCeZ9
— Lorraine on ITV (@ITVLorraine) November 15, 2017
However, while the competition seemed like good fun, many fans of the Suits actress were definitely NOT impressed by it.
In fact, many of them took to Twitter outraged to criticise the contest, saying they were ‘shocked’ that the only competitors were ‘white women with tanned faces’.
Meghan herself is mixed race. Her father is caucasian, and her mother is African American. And Meghan herself has explained, “I’m half black and half white.”
But largely, it seems as though almost all the women who were in the Lorraine contest appear to be white.
We've been putting our Meghan Markle look-a-likes to the test to find who really has that #MarkleSparkle: https://t.co/Rz8bBFI7kT pic.twitter.com/zZMtaC1te5
— Lorraine on ITV (@ITVLorraine) November 9, 2017
Viewers reactions…
And viewers have condemned the fact, with many angrily stating their opinion on Twitter. One wrote, “Are @itv serious? Meghan Markle impersonator competition with 3 white girls with heavy fake tan on?
#marklesparkle this is a version of #blackface and I’m shocked”.
Are @itv serious? Meghan Markle impersonator competition with 3 white girls with heavy fake tan on? 🤦🏽♀️ #marklesparkle this is a version of #blackface and I’m shocked
— S@mi (@SamiJ12) November 10, 2017
While another said, “How you gonna have a barrage of tanned white women compete to be Megan #MarkleSparkle”.
Just when you thought things couldn't get any worse… How you gonna have a barrage of tanned white women compete to be Megan #MarkleSparkle
— Ceyda (@OfficiallyCeyda) November 10, 2017
A third viewer wrote, “Hold on Isn’t Meghan Markle mixed race?”, while a fourth commented “I didn’t know fake tan was a substitute for mixed race. They look nothing like her either
“.
Other infuriated fans wrote, “Point 1, Harry doesn’t wear his No1’s on a daily basis and 2, none look like her. Very poor taste really. She’s of mixed heritage, and using fake tan is disgraceful. Poor show @ITVLorraine poor show.”
While another said “She not a character, she’s a real woman of mixed race heritage at least respect that and have women that look like her #justEmbarrassing”
What do you think about the competition?