Meghan Markle appeared on a celebrity-studded panel at SXSW to mark International Women’s Day, where she revisited how, at age 11, she wrote to Procter & Gamble to ask the brand to change its sexist soap commercial.
The Duchess of Sussex, now 42, joined actress Brooke Shields and former news anchor Katie Couric on stage at the prestigious festival, where she led a panel discussion on “breaking barriers” and “the representation of women.”
She launched into an impassioned discussion about the importance of greater gender equality before sharing the story of how she lobbied the production company to change a TV advert for dishwashing liquid in 1993.
Meghan relived the conversation as she announced to the crowd, “Your voice is not small, it just needs to be heard.”
Meghan Markle appeared on a celebrity-studded panel at SXSW to mark International Women’s Day, where she revisited how, at age 11, she wrote to Procter & Gamble to ask the brand to change its sexist soap commercial
Meghan had opened the discussion with an impassioned speech in which she praised the many women-focused initiatives she and Prince Harry (pictured in the crowd) had worked on through their non-profit organization, the Archewell Foundation.
Meghan had opened the discussion with an impassioned speech in which she praised the many women-focused initiatives she and Prince Harry had worked on through their non-profit organization, the Archewell Foundation.
She was then asked to again share the details of how she had written to Procter & Gamble as part of a campaign to get the company to reconsider its sexist slogans..
“I was about 11 years old and I had seen a commercial on TV for a dishwashing liquid that said, ‘Women across America are fighting greasy pots and pans,’” the mother of two began.
‘The boys in my class at the time said: “Yes, that’s where women belong, in the kitchen” – and at the age of eleven I just found that annoying.
“I wrote a lot of letters and put pen to paper and eventually they changed the commercial to ‘people all over America.’
Meghan continues: ‘It’s funny looking back on it now because that was before social media where you had a reach that was so much greater. It was just an 11-year-old with a pen and paper.
“But it just goes to show that if you know something is wrong and you use your voice to advocate towards what is right, that it can really land and resonate and make a huge change for a lot of people.
“Your voice is not small, it just needs to be heard.”
Meghan appeared on Nick News after lobbying the production company to change a TV advert for dishwashing liquid in 1993
Meghan then lowered her microphone and beamed as she received a hearty applause from the audience.
In 1993, Markle appeared on Nick News, a children’s educational program that aired on the popular cable network Nickelodeon.
In a video previously unearthed by Inside Edition, Markle is seen on the show as she and her classmates watched a television commercial for Ivory dish soap.
The 11-year-old said directly to the camera crews: ‘I don’t think it’s right for children to grow up thinking that only their mother does everything.
“It’s always mom does this and mom does that.”
She concluded at the time: ‘If you see ssomething twhat you don’t like or are offended by on television or other place, write lpeople and send them to the right ppeople.
‘You can really advertisenot only for yourself, but also for memany more people.’
2015: Markle recalled the incident during a speech at the United Nations – again to mark International Women’s Day
2019: Meghan discussed the exchange again during a panel discussion hosted by King’s College London for the annual celebration of women
But today at SXSW wasn’t the first time she’s retold the story.
In 2015, Markle recalled the incident during a speech at the United Nations – again to mark International Women’s Day.
“I remember being shocked and angry and also feeling so hurt,” Markle said in the speech.
“It just wasn’t right and something had to be done.”
She said at the time that her father, Thomas Markle, had inspired her to bring about change.
“He encouraged me to write letters, and so I did – to the most powerful people I could think of,” Meghan said.
And in 2019, she discussed the exchange again during a panel discussion, along with musician Annie Lennox and former Prime Minister of Australia Julia Gillard, hpublished by King’s College London for the annual celebration of women.
Meghan, who was pregnant with son Archie at the time, said: ‘Honestly, I don’t think I even knew what sexism meant when I was 11. I just knew something came over me that told me it was wrong, and I knew it was wrong.
“And by using that as my moral compass and continuing from the age of 11, I was able to change this commercial at that age.”
After her final appearance, viewers flocked to social media users to criticize the retelling of the already well-worn story.
She added, “It really paved the way for me to say, if there’s something wrong, if there’s a lack of justice, and if there’s inequality, then someone has to do something. And why not me?’
After her final appearance, viewers flocked to social media users to criticize the retelling of the already well-worn story.
On This woman is in her 40s and that’s all she has? Pretty sad!’
Another said: ‘Not this old story again ffs does she have anything????’
And a third said: ‘Not that bloody thirty year old dish soap story again.’
Someone else complained, “We’ve only heard this story seventeen times. Enough already.’