Many of you have probably heard of Meghan Markle. You know, the Suits actress who was recently engaged to Prince Harry? Ring any (wedding) bells? Whether you know her as Rachel Zane on Suits or the princess-to-be, you probably don’t know that she’s a feminist icon.
At age eleven, Markle was exposed to a sexist dish soap commercial that stated that “women are fighting greasy pots and pans with Ivory Clear.” Markle realized that this commercial perpetuated the stereotype of women belonging in the kitchen and, in response, wrote letters to the first lady at the time, Hillary Clinton, Linda Ellerbee, the host of Nick News on Nickelodeon, and to Gloria Allred, a women’s rights attorney. She also wrote a letter to the soap manufacturer, Procter & Gamble, asking them to change their commercial from “women are fighting…” to “people are fighting…”
Hillary Clinton, Linda Ellerbee, and Gloria Allred all responded to Markle’s letters and encouraged her to keep fighting for women’s rights. A month later, the commercial was changed from “women” to “people.”
Over twenty years after the soap commercial, Markle was named as a UN Women’s Advocate and gave a speech at International Women’s Day in 2015. In her speech, Markle stated that women’s political participation needs to increase and advocated for more women in politically powerful positions.
Markle argued that “women make up more than half of the world’s population and potential, so it is neither just nor practical for their voices, for our voices, to go unheard at the highest levels of decision making.” She then stated that in order to change this we must encourage and support girls and women to take on leadership roles, and remind women that they can create change.
Although members of the royal family are expected to refrain from voicing their political opinions, we hope this will not stop Markle from continuing to be the phenomenal role model that she is.