WATCH: Uncovered footage shows at age 11, Meghan Markle was fighting for gender equality

Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle. Picture:Phando Jikelo/African News Agency(ANA)

Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle. Picture:Phando Jikelo/African News Agency(ANA)

Published Mar 11, 2021

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Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's revealing interview with Oprah Winfrey has sparked many conversations around the royals, with some people even looking into the archives about the couple.

Social media users found a clip of an 11-year-old Meghan advocating for gender equality.

The clip shows young activist, Meghan and her mates assess the messages of various adverts for a class project.

The advert for Ivory dishwasher soap caught her eye because of its gender-specific language. The ad showed a sink full of dirty dishes, with a voice-over saying, “Women are fighting greasy pots and pans with Ivory Soap.”

“I don’t think it’s right for kids to grow up thinking that mom does everything,” she said in her first-ever TV appearance, in 1993.

Meghan wrote letters to the soap’s manufacturer Procter & Gamble, as well as civil rights lawyer Gloria Allred, Hillary Clinton- who was the First Lady at the time, and Nick News anchor Linda Ellerbee. As a result of her letter, the ad's wording was changed, replacing “women” with “people”.

In her 2015 speech for International Women’s Day in 2015, Meghan made reference to her 11-year-old self who made an impact by standing up for what she strongly believe in.

“They changed it from ‘Women all over America are fighting greasy pots and pans’ to ‘People all over America’. It was at that moment that I realised the magnitude of my actions. At the age of 11, I had created my small level of impact by standing up for equality,’’ said Meghan

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