Resurfaced clip shows a 11-year-old Meghan Markle speaking out against a sexist ad on TV
Meghan Markle, who became the Duchess of Sussex after marrying into the British Royal Family in 2018, was always a women's empowerment advocate. At the tender age of 11, she made a lasting impact with her progressive ideologies and quest for gender equality. While the Suits star is now widely known for her activism, working for the U.N.’s Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, she also turned heads during her school days as an ordinary tween. In a resurfaced video, Inside Edition (@InsideEdition) spotlighted a young Markle boldly speaking up about the unchecked sexism in TV advertisements in the mid-'90s.
“I don’t think it’s right for kids to grow up thinking these things that just Mom does everything,” Markle said at the time during her first-ever TV interview in 1993. Still in elementary school, Markle was asked to assess a few commercials shown on TV as part of her social studies assignment. What emerged was an iconic moment that would govern Markle’s advocacy for equality. The ads for home products, the likes of cleaning supplies, dish soap, and cough medicine, were targeted at women, further endorsing gender stereotypes. Markle’s intellectual response to the questionable contexts of the ads left many people surprised by her awareness at only 11 years old.
One commercial for Ivory Dishwashing Liquid particularly caught her attention. Markle was offended by the catchphrase for the ad, “Women are fighting greasy pots and pans.” It suggested that washing dishes and cooking were a woman’s job. Bothered, she decided to write a letter to Procter & Gamble, the parent company of the product, pointing out the issue and raising doubts about their word choices. "I said, 'Wait a minute. How can somebody say that?’" Markle recalled. She intended to emphasise the fact that men are equally capable of cleaning up houses and washing dishes, hence, the company should use the word “people” instead of “women.”
“Just about one out of every three commercials, it’s gonna say something that’s gonna hurt somebody’s feelings,” the youngster noted. Miraculously, the company subtly acknowledged its mistake and actually changed the line to, “People are fighting greasy pots and pans with Ivory Cleaner.” Her feat spread like wildfire across media platforms and landed her on the TV show, Nick News, hosted by Linda Ellerbee, that year. Not just that, Markle also enlightened her classmates, and even adults, with her blooming wisdom after her praiseworthy endeavor.
"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," she said in the interview. Markle stressed how every person, young or old, can make a “difference” for everyone and humanity with such minute yet significant steps. Meanwhile, the video, which has attracted 3.7 million views, became a hotbed for debate in the comments section. Many people applauded her bravery as a child, while others tried to refute the authenticity of her experiences. Some even speculated about her family dynamics.
“Hmmm, very smart girl, I applaud her,” supported a person (@demonwriterx9412) while another (@thekusiwaa) theorized, “I guess that's why she can't stay with the royals, she's definitely gonna speak her mind.” However, the popular opinion was that Markle’s father, who worked in the TV industry, arranged for the interview and that the ad change was a class effort rather than her sole effort. “Wasn't this a class project, and she is taking all the credit?” asked a commenter (@rannaneumann8912). Similarly, someone else (@MAINER4779) said, “P&G had a landslide of complaints about the commercial. Then they changed it. It wasn't the result of one letter, one complaint.”
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