Meghan Markle Shows Support for Women of Iran With 'Women, Life, Freedom' T-Shirt
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MANDANA DAYANI/Instagram
Meghan Markle is lending her support to the women of Iran.
On Tuesday at a Women@Spotify event in Los Angeles, the Duchess of Sussex, 41, wore a black T-shirt carrying the words "Women, Life, Freedom" written in Farsi to call attention to the ongoing protests in Iran following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini.
Meghan attended the event alongside her Archewell charity's president Mandana Dayani and its executive vice president of global communications, Ashley Momtaheni, who are both Iranian.
"I am so grateful to work with incredible women like Meghan and my fellow Iranian colleague and friend, Ashley Momtaheni, as we continue to highlight the bravery and courage of the women and young girls on the frontlines of one of the most important feminist movements of our lives," Dayani wrote in an Instagram post alongside two photos from the event.
"At the event today, Meghan spoke about the revolution being led by women and young girls in Iran, the courage and bravery they show every day, and their leadership and advocacy of basic human rights: women, life, freedom," added Dayani.
Mahsa Amini died on Sept. 16 after being detained by Iran's Morality Police for allegedly wearing a hijab too loosely. Demonstrations broke out following her death, and the ongoing unrest has seen multiple disturbances across the country, including women burning their hijabs or cutting their hair in protest.
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On Tuesday, Iranian Olympic rock climber Elnaz Rekabi, 33, also returned to the country after making headlines for competing without a head covering during the Asian Championships in Seoul, which Iran's government requires women to wear.
Footage of Rekabi's climb was shared on social media, with many saying her appearance was likely an "act of defiance" against the requirement.
A post to her Instagram page later said that she did not wear a hijab during her climb because of "bad timing and the unanticipated call for me to climb the wall."
"My head covering inadvertently came off," the message said, per a translation shared by BBC.
Aflo/Shutterstock Elnaz Rekabi
In her post Tuesday Dayani spoke about how much Meghan's public display of support means to her and other Iranian women.
"As an Iranian woman who fled her home country in pursuit of these very freedoms, I could not have been more grateful for how she chooses, again and again, to advocate for women around the world. Proud day at Archewell, and especially for me and Ashley Momtaheni."
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On Wednesday, Meghan also spoke to Variety about how another woman, the late Queen Elizabeth, has inspired her own concept of female leadership.
"Certainly, in terms of female leadership, she is the most shining example of what that looks like," Meghan, 41, said in the magazine's Power of Women cover feature. "I feel deep gratitude to have been able to spend time with her and get to know her."
Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images Meghan Markle and Queen Elizabeth in 2018
When asked what the grieving process had been like since the Queen's Sept. 8 death, the Archetypes host voiced her gratitude for the global outpouring of support and that she was able to be there for her husband, Prince Harry.
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"What's so beautiful is to look at the legacy that his grandmother was able to leave on so many fronts," Meghan said.
"It's been a complicated time, but my husband, ever the optimist, said, 'Now she's reunited with her husband,' " she added, referring to Prince Philip, who died in April 2021 at age 99.
Reflecting on what she learned from the late monarch, who died "peacefully" at age 96, Meghan said she's been thinking back to their first solo outing together in 2018.
"I've reflected on that first official engagement that I had with her, how special that felt. I feel fortunate," she told Variety. "And I continue to be proud to have had a nice warmth with the matriarch of the family."
