Meghan Markle, Greta Thunberg and others mark International Women's Day: 'You have a voice'

Meghan Markle is among the prominent women celebrating International Women's Day. (Photo: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
Meghan Markle is among the prominent women celebrating International Women's Day. (Photo: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

March 8 marks International Women’s Day, and some of the most prominent women in the world — not to mention one trailblazing teen — are celebrating.

Meghan Markle, Michelle Obama, Melania and Ivanka Trump, Aly Raisman and Greta Thunberg were among those marking the occasion with messages championing women’s rights.

As one of her final official royal duties, Meghan paid a visit to Dagenham, England, where in 1968 female Ford factory workers famously went on strike to protest being paid less than their male counterparts; the strike was chronicled in the 2010 film Made in Dagenham and prompted the passing of the Equal Pay Act.

“This is the best example of no matter how small you might feel, how low you may feel on the ladder or the totem pole, no matter what color you are, no matter what gender you are, you have a voice, and you certainly have the right to speak up for what is right,” the duchess, who visited a local school, shared in a social media post.

Teen climate activist Thunberg, 17, marked the day by noting that “we can not have climate justice without gender equity.”

She added, “What we women want today — and every day — is equality, not congratulations or celebrations.”

Recently retired Olympic gymnast Raisman, meanwhile, reposted her 2018 Sports Illustrated shoot, in which she posed nude, empowering phrases scrawled on her body. The athlete took the opportunity to urge followers to “stop shaming women and girls for what they wear” in her International Women’s Day post.

“PLEASE. A woman or girl is NEVER asking for it by what she is wearing or what time of night it is or how much she’s had to drink. A SEXY OUTFIT IS NOT AN INVITATION,” she wrote.

Political figures and celebrities also shared messages honoring International Women’s Day. Dwayne Johnson posted tributes to his daughters, while Padma Lakshmi shared a throwback picture which showed her breastfeeding her then-infant daughter while putting on makeup.

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