As a teenager, the Canadian First Lady, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, suffered from an eating disorder. “I got to the path of wellness because of many factors but because I reached out and because I said enough, why am I harming myself that way?” This revelation came as part of Ms. Trudeau’s address — focusing on gender equality and feminism — to a packed auditorium at Sophia College for Women on Tuesday morning.
Ms. Trudeau, who has championed the causes of Canadian non-profits like Because I am a Girl and Plan Canada, was in the city with her husband and their three children as part of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s week-long trip to India.
Dressed in a flowing dress paired with a long kimono shrug and sporting a red tika on her forehead, Canada’s First Lady came on stage after a brief introduction by the principal, Dr. (Sr.) Ananda Amritmahal. Speaking for a little over 20 minutes, Sophie — as she insisted on being addressed — started off with, “I want to make sure that this exchange is true, authentic grounded and real. And we carry the same hope for a more equal world in our hearts, in our bodies, we foster democracy as women and girls. We have dreams that we share and when one of our sister suffers, we suffer as a whole.”
The 850-seater hall was filled to capacity with students, staff members and teachers of the college who politely chuckled at Ms. Trudeau’s occasional jokes and applauded at opportune times. The 42-year-old spoke emphatically at a fast pace, stressing on the importance of fostering relationships with men, making them allies of feminists.
She referenced her own tryst with Indian culture, as a child being curious about India and then as “somebody who embarked on the yogic path and studied tantric philosophy and Sanskrit”. With the phrase, Sate Hitam Satyam, (that which drives us through the truth, the real), Ms. Trudeau reiterated the surface of truth several times without actually elucidating on what it is. For example: “The truth is rising, voices are rising, awareness is rising and we as girls and women are rising. The more we unite our efforts, the more we will rise.” Then quoting yoga guru Shri Satyananda Saraswati: “[He] uses the example of a coiled rope that may look like a snake but it’s not a snake. We must face our truths or our truths will burn us. And they have. Let’s change that.” Finally, a third time when Ms Trudeau said “it’s time for satya , the truth to rise to the surface”.
Calling women the womb of humanity, the First Lady detailed the misconceptions misogynists have (citing discrimination and inequality) and touched on issues of self-esteem, self-love, and the need to share our vulnerabilities and suffering. The address ended with Ms Trudeau saying, “We’re not doing this to make history, we’re doing this to create more goodness on this planet. I carry you in my heart and I wish you peace. S hanti. ”
