+
upworthy
Most Shared

Meghan Markle helped change a sexist TV ad when she was just 11. Seriously.

You've probably heard a lot about actor and humanitarian Meghan Markle in the news lately.

Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images.

Because, yes, that's right — there's a royal wedding in the works!


On Nov. 27, Markle and Prince Harry announced their engagement, sparking a wave of media intrigue into Markle and her past.

Photo by Matt Dunham - WPA Pool/Getty Images.

If her name didn't ring a bell when the engagement news broke earlier this week, here's the gist of her life in the public eye: She's most recognizable from her role as Rachel Zane on the USA Network series "Suits," which premiered in 2011 — and, more recently, for dating Prince Harry.

But she's also been a champion for women and human rights throughout the years, working as an advocate for the U.N.'s Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women and becoming a global ambassador for World Vision Canada in 2016.

As it turns out, though, Markle's devotion to gender equality began long before fame came her way.

In an video unearthed by "Inside Edition," an 11-year-old Markle explains why rampant sexism in TV ads is so terrible.

The video, which was produced in 1993, features Markle and her classmates in a Los Angeles school discussing the implicit messages sent through various television commercials.

The ads they saw were promoting products like cleaning supplies, cough medicine, and dish soap. The commercials' scripts and the actors pushed the notion that the items advertised were for women to use for their families.

Markle wasn't having it.

[rebelmouse-image 19530268 dam="1" original_size="500x261" caption="GIF via "Inside Edition"/YouTube." expand=1]GIF via "Inside Edition"/YouTube.

One ad in particular stood out to 11-year-old Markle: a commercial selling dishwashing liquid.

In the ad, the narrator explains: "Women are fighting greasy pots and pans with Ivory Clear."

"I said, 'Wait a minute,'" Markle recalled. "How can somebody say that?'"

So she picked up a pencil and paper and wrote a letter to Procter & Gamble, the company behind the product, urging them to rethink the use of the word "women" in their ad.

After all, men can certainly clean up after themselves too.

[rebelmouse-image 19530269 dam="1" original_size="500x238" caption="GIF via "Inside Edition"/YouTube." expand=1]GIF via "Inside Edition"/YouTube.

Sure enough, the company listened to Markle and the news coverage that came with it. Soon after, the script was changed to"people are fighting greasy pots and pans with Ivory Clear."

The experience left a lasting impress on Markle, who's continued to fight for what she believes to be right in the decades since.

"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," a young Markle explained in the video. "You can really make a difference — for not just yourself, but lots of other people."

Watch the segment on "Inside Edition" below:

Pop Culture

Here’s a paycheck for a McDonald’s worker. And here's my jaw dropping to the floor.

So we've all heard the numbers, but what does that mean in reality? Here's one year's wages — yes, *full-time* wages. Woo.

Making a little over 10,000 for a yearly salary.


I've written tons of things about minimum wage, backed up by fact-checkers and economists and scholarly studies. All of them point to raising the minimum wage as a solution to lifting people out of poverty and getting folks off of public assistance. It's slowly happening, and there's much more to be done.

But when it comes right down to it, where the rubber meets the road is what it means for everyday workers who have to live with those wages. I honestly don't know how they do it.

Keep ReadingShow less
Joy

5-star Scottish resort offers whimsical afternoon tea experience with 'naughty sheep'

Cameron House's Woolly Wellness retreat includes tea in the garden with adorably rude guests.

Cameron House/Naughty Sheep

Cameron House's Woolly Wellness retreat includes a unique sheep encounter.

Remember when "goat yoga" was all the rage? And then "cow cuddling" and "turkey cuddling" made everyone's bucket lists?

Now we can add "nuzzling with naughty sheep" to the mix, but with a fancy Scottish twist.

Less than an hour from Glasgow, Scotland, the Cameron House resort sits on the bonnie banks of Loch Lomond, looking as if it were plucked straight out of a fairy tale. Sprawling green grounds, gorgeous lake views and a four-story castled mansion greet guests as their "home away from home" (only better), and a perusal of the reviews show guests raving about the 5-star resort's elegance, beauty and exceptional service.

I mean, just look at this place:

drone view of cameron house grounds and lakeCameron House sit on Lake Lochmond in Scotland.Cameron House


Keep ReadingShow less

A pitbull stares at the window, looking for the mailman.


Dogs are naturally driven by a sense of purpose and a need for belonging, which are all part of their instinctual pack behavior. When a dog has a job to do, it taps into its needs for structure, purpose, and the feeling of contributing to its pack, which in a domestic setting translates to its human family.

But let’s be honest: In a traditional domestic setting, dogs have fewer chores they can do as they would on a farm or as part of a rescue unit. A doggy mom in Vancouver Island, Canada had fun with her dog’s purposeful uselessness by sharing the 5 “chores” her pitbull-Lab mix does around the house.

Keep ReadingShow less
@caitlin.the.realtor/TikTok, used with permission

Wait, so 90's fashion is in, but 90's hair is out?

Every era has its own version of what’s attractive. And very rarely does that aesthetic hold power with the following generation. In fact, it often becomes the opposite of cool.

Just think of Elvis. He might have been a universal sex symbol for a time, but it also wasn’t long before his pompadour became passé. Same goes for Paul Newman’s rugged manliness, David Cassidy’s babyface, Tom Selleck’s mustache. Indeed, for everything a season.

Which brings us to the 90s. The age of beach blonde surfer boys (real surfing skills not required, but a plus). Of flannel, lots of flannel, and super chiseled bodies. Let’s not forget this was the dawning of the term “metrosexual,” and also the time period that brought us that Calvin Klein ad with Mark Wahlburg.

How exactly would these guys measure up with the Gen Z kids today?

Keep ReadingShow less
popular

A wild Eurasian crow befriended a toddler and won't leave his side

Crows are so much smarter than we think.

A Eurasian crow.

A family from Denmark has created a touching video montage documenting their unique friendship with a wild Eurasian crow. This crow, affectionately named Russell, has become an honorary member of their household, forming special bonds with each family member, including the pets.

However, the crow's relationship with their son, 2-year-old Otto, is truly extraordinary. “They could spend hours just playing,” Otto’s mother, Laerke Luna, says in a video shared by The Dodo. "When Otto is outside, he will never leave Otto’s side.”

Russell, the free-spirited crow, ventures away from the family's home from time to time, but never for too long. He always comes back and announces his return by tapping on the door, swooping in to lounge on the sofa, or awaiting Otto's return from school atop their roof.

“When we are inside, he will sit inside the window because he wants Otto to go outside with him,” Laerke said.

The family’s relationship with Russell didn’t come out of nowhere. When Russell was a young bird, he had health problems so the family took him and nursed the bird back to health. Eventually, they witnessed his first attempts to fly.

Recently, Russell became friends with another family member, their second child, Hedwig. Although he does get a little annoyed with the bird’s frequent attempts to nab his pacifier.

Even though it’s rare for humans to strike up such a close bond with a crow, according to research, it’s not that surprising. Audubon says that crows are “some of the smartest animals in the world” with an intelligence “on par with chimpanzees.” They are also very social and family-oriented, so no wonder Russell loves Otto and his family.

Crow Named Russell Waits For His Favorite Kid To Get Home From School | The Dodo


Learning

Why you shouldn't throw your dishwasher pod into the bottom of your dishwasher

Dishwashers actually use the dirty water to know how to wash your dishes.

Photos by cottonbro studio and PhotoMIX Ltd. via Canva

Why your detergent shouldn't go in the bottom of the dishwasher

There always seem to be something going on with the pods and powders you're supposed to use in the dishwasher to clean your dishes. Either the pods don't dissolve completely or the powder gets all goopy and hard, never really fully dispensing into the dishwasher.

The inconsistency in product dispensing can leave you wondering if the dishes are even getting cleaned, causing some to toss the detergent pod into the bottom of the dishwasher. It would seem that placing the detergent at the bottom would allow for it to actually reach your dirty dishes. But Melissa Pateras, a domestic expert, explains that doing it that way isn't doing what you think it's doing.

Pateras actually breaks down exactly how dishwashers work to clean your dishes while explaining why putting the detergent on the bottom is ineffective.

Keep ReadingShow less