The Duchess of Sussex led a topical discussion about women’s representation and the dangers social media poses to young girls to kick off the 2024 South by Southwest Conference & Festivals.
In the ‘Breaking Barriers, Shaping Narratives: How Women Lead On and Off the Screen’ keynote panel, Meghan was on stage with author Nancy Wang Yuen, actress Brooke Shields, journalist Katie Couric, and editor Errin Haines. With SXSW’s opening day being on International Women’s Day, it was an especially appropriate topic choice.
Meghan donned a sea-salt silk set with a delicate pinstripe pattern by Giuliva Heritage for the occasion. In terms of appearance, the duchess had her hair down and parted in the center.
![Meghan Markle on SXSW Festival Keynote Panel 1 Meghan Markle on SXSW festival keynote panel](https://silentnews.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Meghan-Markle-on-SXSW-festival-keynote-panel-1.jpg)
She wore a nude lip and soft blush to keep her makeup natural.
The Meghan stated during her speech, “Your voice is not small—it just needs to be heard.” She also discussed the need to make social media safer for kids, a cause close to her heart and one she has previously supported.
Meghan Markle and her husband, Prince Harry, observed World Mental Health Day last October by providing a forum for parents who have lost a child to mental health problems stemming from excessive use of social media. For the occasion, the royals collaborated with Project Healthy Minds.
At the time, Meghan stated, “The parents can’t bear all of this burden alone.” “In many of the private discussions we’ve had behind closed doors with tech leaders, they do believe that parental controls and other barriers have been put in place to stop this, but not all parents are tech-savvy and can use them, so there needs to be a better answer than that.
You installed protections so that even in the face of recurring incidents, you are still trying to keep people safe.
Twitter reactions
“My husband is such a hands on dad and such a great supporter of me and our family and that is a real blessing” #MeghanSXSW pic.twitter.com/6IpNWNQcF5
— Myra (@SussexPrincess) March 8, 2024
“The bulk of the bullying and abuse I experienced was when I was pregnant…There are a lot of woman that are at the highest executive level who are great champions of woman and yet they are allowing this behaviour to run rampant” #MeghanSXSW pic.twitter.com/vn7RHXnqVK
— Myra (@SussexPrincess) March 8, 2024
no @nytimes: In an appearance at SXSW, Meghan said she experienced the heaviest online abuse during her pregnancies.https://t.co/4e1S2t0ycz
— Luciana Moherdaui – esta conta é pessoal (@lumoherdaui) March 10, 2024
'Regal' Meghan Markle showed vulnerability as she opened up on 'toxic abuse' https://t.co/WBI4wd31Wa
— Judi James (@thejudijames) March 9, 2024