“The majority of the bullying I experienced on social media was when I was pregnant with Archie and Lili,” said Meg.
Meghan Markle spent International Women’s Day in Texas speaking at the SXSW conference. Meghan took part in the panel ‘Breaking Barriers, Shaping Narratives’, which focuses on gender equality. In it she discussed the negative effects on social media regarding women.
Commercial
Meghan talked about her own experiences on social media, but also how she was already working on gender equality at a young age. For example, as an eleven-year-old girl she focused on a commercial for a detergent that was initially only aimed at women. She had to and would make a difference in this, and she actually succeeded.
She didn’t like the sentence: ‘Women across America are fighting greasy pots and pans’. In her class, this was taken so literally that the boys were convinced from an early age that women ‘belong in the kitchen’. Meghan therefore decided to write a letter to the people behind the advertisement. And with success! The sentence was changed to: “People across America.”
Social media and bullying
Then panelist Errin Haines asks: “Social media has really become the place where women and girls are scrutinized and bullied. Unfortunately, I know this is something you are familiar with. How have you been able to manage the seemingly endless toxicity coming your way?”
“Yes, social media is an environment that I think is a lot like all that,” said a vulnerable Meghan. “You know, it’s quite interesting when you think about it. I keep my distance from it now for my own well-being, but most of the bullying I experienced on social media was when I was pregnant with Archie and Lili. Then understand why people are so hateful. It’s not teasing, it’s really cruel. And why would you do that? No idea. Especially when you are pregnant, with a newborn, we all know as mothers that it is such a vulnerable time.”
Precautionary measures
A little later she explains that with her production company Archewell Productions she advocates that the roles of mothers and women are filled in a responsible manner. “I’ve been saying this for so many years and I hope it’s starting to sink in, but I think we can all agree that representation is important. Like I said before, when you’re a new mom, it’s a really vulnerable time. The effect that social media can have on new mothers is intense. It can be dizzying for them to see an image of perfect motherhood, when we all know it’s not perfect.”
“I am lucky that in addition to the private lives I have in my life, I have a wonderful partner,” Meghan continues. “My husband is such a committed father and such a support to me and my family. I don’t take that for granted. That is truly a blessing. But many people don’t have that support. So I think for us it’s about taking precautions so that women, and mothers in particular, don’t feel like they’re even more vulnerable when they go online.”
Source: ELLE | Image: NL Image
