Meghan Markle has backed a report calling for ‘true representation’ for mothers on television, adding that being both an actress and a mother has ‘amplified her belief’ in supporting the cause.
The Duchess of Sussex, 42, and her Archewell Foundation were credited with supporting the report released today ahead of International Women’s Day on March 8.
It called on the industry to ‘more fully develop the characterisation of motherhood’.
The report, titled Rewriting Motherhood: How TV Represents Moms and What We Want To See Next, looked at scripted television programs from 2022 that featured mothers.
Speaking about the report, Meghan said: ‘My past experience as an actress, and now today as a producer and mother, have amplified my belief in the critical importance of supporting women and moms both behind the lens and in front of it.
Meghan used her experiences as an actress (pictured in Suits) and a producer to back the report which calls for more representative of mothers on television
Above: Meghan Markle during her time on Deal or No Deal as a ‘briefcase girl’
The Duchess of Sussex, 42, and her Archewell Foundation were credited with supporting the report released today ahead of International Women’s Day on March 8
Meghan Markle makes dumplings with group of female Afghan refugees
‘This report about the portrayal of mothers in entertainment highlights the gaps we need to fill to achieve true representation in the content we create and consume, and I’m honoured to support this work through the Archewell Foundation.’
She is set to appear as a panellist for a discussion about women in the media and entertainment industries at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas tomorrow.
Meghan appeared in a series of TV acting roles before her 2018 marriage to Harry, the Duke of Sussex, with her most well-known role being Rachel Zane in the American legal drama, Suits.
She was also on the television show Deal or No Deal as a ‘briefcase girl’ between 2006 and 2007.
During her time on the show, she said she was reduced to a ‘bimbo’.
Speaking on her Spottily podcast, Meghan said: ‘I ended up quitting the show. I was so much more than what was being objectified on the stage. I didn’t like feeling forced to be all looks. And little substance.
‘And that’s how it felt for me at the time being reduced to this specific archetype, the word bimbo.
‘We were even given spray-tan vouchers each week because there was a very cookie cutter idea, of precisely what we should look like. It was solely about our beauty’.
Some of the findings in the report included that TV mothers did not seem to have the same concerns about their physical appearance as those in real life.
Another said everyday sacrifices made by mothers for their children were often missing from their depictions on TV.
The other collaborators on the report were Moms First and the Geena Davis Institute.
The Archewell Foundation, a non-profit organisation, was co-founded by Harry and Meghan in 2020, shortly after ‘Megxit’ – when they left their jobs as working royals and moved across the pond.
Last month, the couple launched their new controversial website ‘Sussex.com’, which stated: ‘The Office of Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, is shaping the future through business and philanthropy.
‘This includes: the Archewell Foundation, Archewell Productions, patronages, ventures, and organisations which receive the support of the couple, individually and/or together.’
Meghan is set to appear as a panellist for a discussion about women in the media and entertainment industries at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas tomorrow
Meghan appeared in a series of TV acting roles before her 2018 marriage to Harry. Above: Meghan’s shoot for Deal or No Deal
Prince Harry and Meghan meet disabled skiers in Whistler
The couple created it as part of a royal rebrand on Monday after purchasing the domain name for an undisclosed fee from tech entrepreneur Neil Agate.
But the pair came under fire over their website, in particular Meghan’s coat of arms – which critics claim is a breach of their promise to the late Queen Elizabeth when they acrimoniously quit front-line royal duties.
A representative for the Sussexes said at the time: ‘We’ve heard time and time again that certain opportunities are make or break for the couple.
‘They’re still here. They’re still working and pursuing what they believe in, despite constantly being challenged and criticised. This couple will not be broken.’
Today, MailOnline reported that Meghan was looking for a UK PR guru to gain more positive publicity in Britain for herself and for Archewell.
A star hire will also help her amid persistent rumours her lifestyle blog The Tig could return, especially after her friend Gwyneth Paltrow’s GOOP brand burst through the $250million value over Christmas.
The search for a UK PR executive is yet another sign that 2024 is the year the Sussexes will relaunch and it appears despite being happy in California, they want to do more in Harry’s home country.
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