Parenting

Meghan Markle Used Her Guest Position At 'British Vogue' To Build Up Women

by Christina Marfice
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@SUSSEXROYAL/Getty and Vogue

Meghan Markle had a special request as guest editor of British Vogue: Freckles

It’s not often that someone gets to guest-edit British Vogue. But for the first time in 103 years, the magazine did have a guest editor for its celebrated fall issue, and a better woman could not have been picked than Meghan Markle.

The Duchess of Sussex decided to use her big moment with the magazine — and the platform she was given within it — to promote the empowerment of women who are changing the world. The issue, entitled “Forces of Change,” has a cover that features some of the most inspirational women on the planet: New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern, boxer Ramla Ali, diversity advocate Sinéad Burke, trans rights activist and actor Laverne Cox, 16-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, body positivity force Jameela Jamil, and more. The photos of all these women are laid out on the cover in a grid, which includes one space that’s a mirror, “included so that when you hold the issue in your hands, you see yourself as part of this collective.”

Inside the magazine, features include a one-on-one interview Meghan conducted with Michelle Obama, as well as a conversation between the Duchess and famous nature researcher Dr. Jane Goodall. Seriously, how do we get our hands on this magazine outside of the U.K.?

And as for the design direction for the issue, Meghan Markle was inspired by her own experiences shooting for similar publications. It’s one of her pet peeves to have her natural skin tone or perceived blemishes, like her freckles, changed or airbrushed away, so she went into this job specifically seeking a photographer who would embrace the natural beauty of the women he was photographing: 74-year-old fashion photographer Peter Lindbergh.

“I hate retouching, I hate make-up. I always say, ‘Take the make-up off!'” Lindbergh told Vogue. “The number of beautiful women who have asked me to lengthen their legs or move their eyes further apart … You would not believe. It’s a culture of madness.”

He added that Meghan gave him some instructions he was all too happy to follow.

“My instructions from the Duchess were clear: ‘I want to see freckles!'” he said. “Well, that was like running through open doors for me. I love freckles.”

That didn’t include the duchess’ own freckles. She’s not featured on the cover, because she specifically wanted to highlight other women who are changing the world, and said including her own picture on the cover would have been “too boastful.”

But Meghan is definitely changing the world, and this entire magazine issue proves it.

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