Entertainment

These Quotes From Meghan Markle Prove She's Always Been A Badass

by Karen Ruffini
Chris Jackson/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

Is there anyone in this world that you'd rather be best friends with than Meghan Markle? The actress and soon-to-be British royal just seems so relatable, smart as hell, and a total badass, which only makes you want to know her even more. But it's not just because of her engagement to Prince Harry that she's suddenly became this fearless, lovely person: She's pretty much always been this awesome, and these four Meghan Markle quotes about feminism totally prove it.

Let me start off by saying that Markle shows us time and time again that marrying into the royal family is not going to change much about her, which I love. She's broken British tradition a few times over already (like how she'll be choosing a maid of honor for the wedding, something that doesn't typically happen), and DGAF about the labels on her clothes (the dress she wore for Christmas was something that even I could afford). I think we can all agree that to have someone like Markle representing the royal family is so, so welcomed (just like when our girl Kate Middleton married Prince William).

So let's just give a standing ovation for Meghan Markle, because she's a chick who has no problem telling it like it is, and these quotes will make you love her even more for it.

When she told women that they are "enough":

Markle recently said goodbye to her lifestyle blog, The Tig, because I'm pretty sure she has enough going on as it is. But back when her blog was in full swing, she wrote a personal essay in 2014 on her 33rd birthday that encouraged women to understand that happiness comes from within. She said,

You need to know that you’re enough. A mantra that has now engrained itself so deeply within me that not a day goes by without hearing it chime in my head. That five pounds lost won’t make you happier, that more makeup won’t make you prettier, that the now iconic saying from Jerry Maguire–'You complete me'–frankly, isn’t true. You are complete with or without a partner. You are enough just as you are.

Yes, girl.

When she chose to use her fame to advocate for women:

Back in 2016, Meghan Markle had a candid interview with Elle UK and man, does she speak some pretty epic truths. She spoke openly about how she admires not famed celebrities, but those who are leading this world to change for good. She said,

Were it not for my show and website, I would never have been asked to be a global ambassador for World Vision or an advocate for UN Women, both of which are honours I relish. While most become star struck by A-list actors, you'll only see me in awe of leaders effecting change ... With fame comes opportunity, but it also includes responsibility – to advocate and share, to focus less on glass slippers and more on pushing through glass ceilings. And, if I'm lucky enough, to inspire.

Amazing, indeed.

When she said that being a feminist doesn't have a "uniform":

In 2016, Markle took the stage at Create and Cultivate, which prides itself as a gathering of "the next generation of curious creatives, entrepreneurs and bosses" to let the audience know that being a feminist doesn't require any specifics other than the drive to help create gender equality. She said,

You don't have to play dress up to be a feminist. You are a feminist exactly the way you are. You can be a woman who wants to look good and still stand up for the equality of women. There's no uniform for feminism; You are a feminist exactly the way you are.

You tell 'em, girl.

When she celebrated her biracial roots:

Markle revealed to Elle Magazine that she'd often get asked about her background (her mother is African American and her father is Caucasian), and astonishingly, the remarks she'd receive after that information was dispensed were often less than pleasant. But Markle chose to show how she pushed through the ignorance of others and persevere in finding her values and beliefs as a biracial woman. She said,

While my mixed heritage may have created a grey area surrounding my self-identification, keeping me with a foot on both sides of the fence, I have come to embrace that. To say who I am, to share where I'm from, to voice my pride in being a strong, confident mixed-race woman. That when asked to choose my ethnicity in a questionnaire as in my seventh grade class, or these days to check 'Other', I simply say: 'Sorry, world, this is not Lost and I am not one of The Others. I am enough exactly as I am.'

Meghan, you are a queen and we all thank you for your badass-ness.