Shields Clarifies “Too Precious” Comment About Meghan Markle
Actor Addresses Backlash Over Onstage Exchange
Brooke Shields is setting the record straight after a remark she made during a public panel with **Meghan Markle** ignited online debate. The actress explained her intention wasn’t to criticize the Duchess of Sussex, but to keep the conversation flowing.
The Onstage Moment
The exchange occurred during an International Women’s Day panel at South by Southwest. **Meghan Markle** was recounting a formative experience: writing to Procter & Gamble at age 11 to protest a sexist soap commercial. She repeatedly emphasized her age during the story.
“She said, ‘I didn’t think only women wash dishes. It wasn’t fair. So I wrote to the company… when I was 11, I wrote my first letter and when I was 11’
and she kept saying she was 11… She writes to the company, they change the commercial,” **Shields** recalled on The India Hicks Podcast.
Shields admitted she worried the detailed retelling was losing the audience’s attention. “I was like, they’re not going to want to sit here for 45 minutes and listen to anybody be precious or serious,”
she explained.
A Phrase That Resonated
The phrase “too precious” quickly spread online, drawing criticism from those who felt it was an unfair assessment of **Meghan Markle**. A 2023 study by the Pew Research Center found that 56% of Americans have heard a lot about **Meghan Markle**, and opinions about her remain sharply divided along partisan lines (Pew Research Center, 2023).
Clarifying Intentions
However, **Shields** has clarified that her comment wasn’t meant as a slight. She stated she simply wanted to inject some levity into the discussion, acknowledging that **Meghan Markle** can sometimes be quite serious in her reflections.
The actress emphasized she wasn’t attempting to diminish **Meghan Markle**’s experiences, but rather to ensure the panel remained engaging for the audience. She hoped to steer the conversation towards broader themes and prevent it from becoming overly focused on a single anecdote.
The incident highlights the intense scrutiny faced by public figures, particularly women, and the potential for misinterpretation in the age of social media.
