Meghan Markle put her most fashionable foot forward as she marked International Women's Day in true Hollywood style by appearing on a celebrity - studded panel at SXSW while her husband Prince Harry cheered her on from the front row.
(SXSW is an annual festival that celebrates the convergence of technology, film, music, education and culture, and runs from March 8 to March 16 )
The 42-year-old Duchess of Sussex joined actress Brooke Shields and longtime news anchor Katie Couric on-stage at the prestigious festival, where she was leading a panel discussion about 'breaking barriers' and 'women's representation'.
Beaming with pride as she walked out on stage, having been introduced to the crowd as Megan, the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan then took her seat alongside her fellow panelists for the discussion - during which she candidly opened up about the "hatred' she received while pregnant her children.
The Duchess of Sussex, who traveled to Austin from her $14.65 million home in Montecito on Thursday, looked radiant in a silver-beige $1,000 Giuliva Heritage silk maxi skirt and matching $975 button-up shirt, a look that she accessorized with some chunky gold earrings.
Throughout the panel discussion, Harry, 39, was seen gazing up at his wife from the front row, joining his fellow guests in applauding Meghan - whom he joined for a date night on Thursday at the Austin venue of private members' club Soho House.
Prince Harry was joined in the front row by the couple's very close friend, Soho House mogul Markus Anderson, who was instrumental in bringing the Sussexes together in the early days of their relationship.
The Duchess began by gushing about her 'excitement' to be joining the panel, before going on to tout the many female-focused initiatives that she and Prince Harry work on through their nonprofit, the Archewell Foundation.
'I’m so excited to be here and to be with such incredible women, so much brilliance on this panel and this is just such an amazing way to celebrate International Women's Day,' she said.
She then went on to discuss a wide range of topics, including:
- Hatred she has received on social media, particularly when she was pregnant with her children, Archie and Lilibet
- The need for more inclusivity and accurate representation of women and mothers in media
- Fighting to protect children and young people from dangers of social media while praising Prince Harry for being an 'incredible partner' and 'hands-on' dad
- Retold her story about leading campaign to change 'sexist' soap commercial when she was 11 years old
- FIGHTING FOR BETTER REPRESENTATION OF MOTHERS IN MEDIA
When asked about the Archewell Foundation's decision to fund a recent report calling for 'true representation' for mothers on TV, Meghan explained that she and Harry had chosen to get involved with the project for 'three key reasons'.
'My husband and I, our foundation helped to fund it because I think from our standpoint, and certainly from mine, there are three key reasons why it felt vital to see the information they were going to be pulling from this report,' she said.
'On a personal level, I’ve just always loved understanding women and our stories and our lived experiences and our shared experiences so I was really curious to see what the report was going to uncover.
'Oftentimes as women, the way that we see ourselves is reflected back to us, sometimes accurately, and sometimes, much to our disservice, inaccurately, in what we see in media.
'So to be able to have the findings to uncover what we can do to propel that, to make sure women are really feeling seen in a way that is reflective of who and how we are and how we move through the world, felt important.
'From a philanthropic standpoint with our foundation, there is obviously a lot of work to be done in supporting women and moms. You can begin with paid leave.'
She went on to note that Archewell's production arm is focusing more on its own representation of women and mothers 'as it expands its slate' of projects, both on-screen and in podcasting.
Meghan has her own female-focused podcast, Archetypes, which began as part of the Sussexes' lucrative deal with Spotify, but has since moved to Lemonade Media, after the couple parted ways with the popular streaming company.
'I keep my distance from [social media] right now for my wellbeing but the bulk of the bullying and abuse I was experiencing in social media and online was when I was pregnant with Archie and with Lili, and with a newborn, with each of them,' she said after being asked about the trolling she has faced.
'You just think about that and to wrap your head about why people would be so hateful. it's not catty it's cruel. Why you would do that when you're pregnant or as a mom at such a tender and sacred time.'
She questioned how anyone could 'do that' to a an expectant or new mother - noting that much of the vitriol she was seeing online was coming from women trying to take down other women.
'[It's] women completely spewing that to other women and I cannot make sense of that,' Meghan continued.
MEGHAN PRAISES HARRY FOR BEING AN 'INCREDIBLE PARTNER' AND A 'HANDS-ON' DAD
Having discussed the toll that online 'hatred' had on her throughout her pregnancies and in the early stages of motherhood, Meghan went on to discuss the ways in which the Archewell Foundation is working to ensure that women and mothers can feel safer and more supported online.
While opening up about the 'dizzying' impact that social media can have on a new mom, Meghan praised the 'support' that she receives from Prince Harry, describing him as an 'incredible partner' and a 'hands-on dad' to their two kids.
'The effect that social media can have a new mothers... even just the lack of sleep because they spend all this time scrolling and scrolling,' she said.
'But it can also be really dizzying for them to see this portrayal of motherhood that looks so perfect, when we all know that it's not perfect. We all know that it's messy.
'I'm fortunate in that amongst the privileges that I have in my life, I have an incredible partner. My husband is such a hands-on dad and such a supporter of me and of my family, and that I don't take for granted, that is a real blessing.
'But a lot of people don't have that same level of support. So for us, it's just trying to put the safeguards in so women, and moms especially, can not feel like they're even more vulnerable when they go online, so they can somehow feel like they are going to a safer place.'
Source: Daily Mirror UK
Credit Getty image
