Meghan Markle has fought this feminist issue for decades — and Britain is finally banning it

It's no secret that Meghan Markle is a self-proclaimed feminist. The Duchess of Sussex has shared her voice and acted on a wide range of women's issues, which she seemingly started doing at the young age of 12.

Back in 2017, a video from Nick News re-surfaced of a young Meghan fighting for gender equality. She explains on camera how upset she was after watching TV in social studies class and coming across a commercial for dish soap that said "women are fighting greasy pots and pans."

"When I first saw the commercial, I knew something had to be done, because I was furious," she said before explaining what compelled her to write a letter to the president of Proctor & Gamble, the company behind the ad.

"While flipping through the channels, we saw a commercial for the new Ivory Clear Dish Washing Liquid. In the commercial, they said women are battling grease, meaning only women do dishes. When I heard this, the boys in my class started saying, 'Yeah, that's where women belong, in the kitchen.'"

Per Meghan's letter, Proctor and Gamble actually listened and changed the commercial to say "people" instead of "women." You can watch the video above.

The root of Meghan's issue with the ad back then and many ads today is the use of gender stereotypes to sell a product. For example, men failing to change a diaper, women doing housework, girls playing with dolls, boys working on DIY projects — you know the ones.

But in December 2018, Britain's Advertising Standards Authority announced a ban on these types of ads and published a 64-page report based on a review that showed how gender stereotypes can have a negative effect on people's public and private lives.

"The review found evidence suggesting that harmful stereotypes can restrict the choices, aspirations and opportunities of children, young people and adults and these stereotypes can be reinforced by some advertising, which plays a part in unequal gender outcomes," the ASA explained on their site last week.

They further explained that, "the evidence does not show that the use of gender stereotypes is always problematic and the new rule does not seek to ban gender stereotypes outright, but to identify specific harms that should be prevented."

The ban gave companies six months to update or remove any ads that violated the new rules that state “advertisements must not include gender stereotypes that are likely to cause harm, or serious or widespread offense.” And as of June 14, the ban (although still a bit murky) is in full-effect and being enforced across a multitude of mediums.

According to The New York Times, Britain is not the first to enforce a ban on gender discrimination or sexism in ads. Other countries like Belgium, France, Finland, Greece, Norway, South Africa and India have already installed such laws.

But knowing this, and how hard 12-year-old Meghan Markle fought for these changes, we can't help but think of how happy the duchess must feel today watching the changes take place around her. So, will the U.S. be next?