Meghan Jokes About Her Baby Kicking During an International Womenâs Day Panel
Meghan had some jokes about her baby bump as she took the stage for an event to mark International Womenâs Day.
The Duchess of Sussex looked as wonderful as ever, in a stunning black and white dress combined with a smart blazer for the panel discussion hosted by the Queenâs Commonwealth Trust. The future-mother finished off her look with her trademark stilettos and a small clutch bag. For her hair she went with a simple yet nice bun, giving her a chance to show off her elegant pair of earrings.
Along with the Duchess, lots of leading feminists and national figures attended the event at Kingâs College London. During the panel which includes the like of Annie Lennox and former prime minister of Australia Julia Gillard-lots of issues that were affecting women today were debated.
As the event started, chairwoman Anne McElvoy asked Meghan: âHowâs the bump treating you?â
Meghan replied âvery wellâ and revealed she had been watching a âdocumentary about feminism on Netflix and one of the things they said during pregnancy was âI feel the embryonic kicking of feminismâ.â
She added: âI loved that â boy or girl, whatever it is, we hope thatâs the case.â
On the selling of feminism to men and boys, Meghan told the audience: âIâve said for a long time you can be feminine and a feminist, you can be masculine.
âAnd I think in terms of masculinity you understand that your strength includes knowing your vulnerabilities and your sense of self and security, and your confidence comes from knowing a woman by your side, not behind you, is actually something you should not be threatened about â as opposed you should feel really empowered in having that.â
The Duchess also emphasized that she does not read newspapers or use Twitter. She said: âI donât read anything, itâs much safer that way, but equally thatâs just my own personal preference because I think positive or negative it can all sort of just feel like noise to a certain extent these days, as opposed to getting muddled with that to focus on the real cause.
READ NEXT: How Meghan Is Already Taking Care Of Her Babyâs Mental Health?
âSo for me, I think the idea of making the word feminism trendy, that doesnât make any sense to me personally, right? This is something that is going to be part of the conversation forever.â
This statement comes just hours after the Duchess was handed a new role as vice-president of the trust, joining her husband Prince Harry, who is president. The organization, which has the Queen as patron, has the goal of supporting and funding young leaders around the world who are working to tackle problems in education, health, the environment and sport.
The trust said in a statement: âIn this new role, the Duchess will highlight the trustâs partnerships with young people across the Commonwealth, and in particular its work supporting women and girls.â
Meghan, who is expecting her first child with Harry sometime in April or May, has been a proud feminist for a long time and has campaigned for womenâs rights even at a young age. Our favourite Duchess was only 11 when she accused a washing-up liquid companyâs TV advert of being sexist, with it being changed thanks to young Meghanâs campaign.
That culminated in 2015 when Meghan became the UN Womenâs Advocate for Womenâs Political Participation and Leadership. On International Womenâs Day that year she gave a speech about gender equality, saying: âI am proud to be a woman and a feminist.â
Since becoming a royal, nothing has changed, with Meghan continuing her work to promote feminism.
During her overseas tour with Prince Harry last October, Meghan spoke at a reception at Government House in Wellington to celebrate the 125th anniversary of womenâs suffrage in New Zealand.
The 37-year-old said: âIn looking forward to this very special occasion, I reflected on the importance of this achievement, but also the larger impact of what this symbolises.
âBecause yes â womenâs suffrage is about feminism, but feminism is about fairness.â
She gave another powerful speech about womenâs education at the University of the South Pacific in Fiji.
At the beginning of this year, the Duchess of Sussex finally revealed her first royal patronages, with womenâs charity Smart Works among the four organizations.