Meghan Markle Posts a Throwback Video of Her 11-Year-Old Self Fighting Sexism
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When you hear the words “female empowerment” in the news these days, it’s a pretty solid bet to guess that Meghan Markle might somehow involved. Meghan posted a throwback video for International Day of the Girl on Instagram, and it’s perfectly in tune with the message of gender equality and celebrating strong women that she’s been championing as a royal. And, as it turns out, she started well before she became a Duchess.
The video posted to the Sussex Royal Instagram account on October 11 cuts together two times Meghan has spoken out about gender equality in the past: once, at age 11, and the other, at her recent speech in Cape Town, South Africa, to conclude her and Prince Harry’s royal tour. The footage of young Meghan comes from an Inside Edition clip from 1993, where the former actress was featured after successfully convincing Procter & Gamble to change a dishwashing soap advertisement she found sexist. (The original slogan read, “Women all over America are fighting greasy pots and pans.” By the time 11-year-old Meghan was done with them, it read, “People all over America.”)
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The video starts with a voiceover from Meghan’s speech in October: “Every girl has potential. She has promise. She has the right to learn, the right to be heard, the right to play and to discover. The right to be exactly who she is,” the Duchess declares. “It is said that girls with dreams become women with vision.”
And if grown-up Meghan is the woman with vision, her 11-year-old self is certainly the girl with dreams: “If you see something that you don’t like or are offended by on television or any other place, write letters and send them to the right people,” young Meghan says in the clip. “You can really make a difference, for not just yourself but lots of other people.” So, please, let no one ever question Meghan’s motives again — she’s had the same values and commitment to the cause since age 11! There is literal video evidence!
A post shared by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (@sussexroyal) on Oct 11, 2019 at 3:37am PDT
The Sussex Royal account added a caption reflecting on the meaning of International Day of the Girl: “Be it lack of access to education, stigma surrounding Menstrual Hygiene Management, forced child marriage, legal or medical inequality, or gender-based violence, there is a pressing need to support young women in their path to excellence,” the post reads.
“It is also a day to celebrate and encourage girls to know their value and to support them in taking action to grow into the women they wish to be,” the post continues. “HRH recently shared a quote during a speech in Cape Town: ‘Visualize your highest self, and show up as her.’ To all of the young girls reading this today on International Day of the Girl, that quote is for you.” Happy International Day of the Girl!
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