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Jordin Yasmine Barnhart
Paul Lopez/Pat Holder
Humanities: American Literature
10/08/2010
Gloria Steinem: A Feminist Inspiration Who Changed the World
Feminism in the 1960s was largely a response to the way women were portrayed
by the media. Women’s roles had changed with the start of World War II. While men
were off fighting, women began to rise, taking tasks which belonged to men prior to the
war. Once men came back from the war, they were very confused. Their expectations of
women were to be the perfect housewives. Women who were in opposition of this
mindset were called “unfeminine”. The media began to portray images of women at
home, illustrating to the nation that this was the “perfect life” for a woman, and the
correct way to be. Although, many women began to believe that this “perfect life” limited
their possibilities, talent, and potential. Betty Friedan’s book The Feminine Mystique
objected the portrayed image of women and helped initiate the “second-wave” of
feminism, along with John F. Kennedy’s report on gender inequality. Both led to the
formation of many local, state, and federal government women’s groups as well as many
liberal organizations that took up this cause. The creation of social and political groups,
protests, strikes, and campaigns particularly pertaining to issues including sexuality,
reproductive freedom, and equal pay for equal work all played a major part in the
women’s movement. Among other figures, Gloria Steinem, a feminist American
journalist and social and political activist played a pivotal role in the movement and
helped shape feminism as it exists today.
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In the late 1950s and early 1960s Gloria Steinem wrote for various magazines and
newspapers. In 1963, she took on an undercover role as a Playboy Bunny to write a story
about the job. She created a fake identity, calling herself “Marie Catherine Ochs”, after
her grandmother. Her work at New York City’s Playboy Club consisted of waiting tables
and checking coats. Simultaneously, she paid attention to the working conditions and
attitudes of the other women. Her article, “I was a Playboy Bunny,” illustrated issues
women faced in the work place including low wages, long hours, abusive costumers and
uncomfortable working conditions. Her experiences gave her a lot of new insight on how
women were treated and viewed by men and laid the ground work for her developing
beliefs in feminism.
As a wave of feminism started to spread across the United States, Steinem had
another task as a journalist: she was assigned by New York Magazine to cover the
Redstocking Rally, held to protest New York’s abortion law. “The Redstockings women
were radical feminists who saw the male supremacy as the oldest, most basic oppression
of one human being by another” (Shneir 126). Having had an abortion in the past, the
rally helped her feel a connection with the other women. She wrote: “Suddenly I was not
learning intellectually what was wrong. I knew. I had sought and endured an abortion
when I was newly out of college, but told no one. If one in three or four adult women
shared this experience, why was each of us made to feel criminal and alone?” (Steinem
20). From that point on, Steinem committed herself to the feminist cause and grew to
become one of the women’s liberation movement’s greatest leaders.
Steinem paired her newly discovered passion for feminism with her interest in
journalism. In her article, “After Black Power, Women’s Liberation”, she explains the
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natural alliance between civil rights and women’s rights, claiming that if the movements
supported each other, both would flourish. This article won the Penny-Missouri
Journalism Award and in September of 1969, Steinem, was asked to speak to the
Women’s National Democratic Club about her prize winning article. Having not been
comfortable with public speaking her whole life, she chose Dorothy Pittman Hughes as a
speaking partner, who had background in the civil rights movement, to ease her own
discomfort.
On August 26, 1970, Steinem and other leaders in the National Organization for
Women (NOW) organized the Women’s Strike for Equality. This was a peaceful
demonstration in honor of the 19th amendment of the constitution, which recognizes the
right for women to vote. Many groups joined in including the Redstockings, the Young
Women’s Christian Association, and the New York Radical Feminist. Even women who
were once satisfied with their place in the world joined the demonstration. The women’s
movement had started to gather significant speed.
Despite her “almost pathological fear of speaking in public” (Steinem 9), Steinem
delivered numerous amounts of speeches. In 1971, she was invited to Smith College,
where she once studied, to address the graduating class. Her speech titled “The Politics of
Women” criticized Smith College for failing to honor women in history and support
women’s ideas in society. She claimed housework as “the only work that is only noticed
if you don’t do it” and illegal abortions to be “the number one health problem among
women” (Attebury 67). She urged students to change society and advised Smith to
become a feminist institution. Graduates applauded her ideas while many older listeners
were offended. In the context of 1971, her comments were very scandalous and
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audacious. She was also invited to speak at a Banquet at Harvard University. Instead of
making general comments, she acknowledged specific issues and gave solutions to fix
them. Her speech was both praised and disregarded. In time, changes were made in the
treatment of women at Harvard Law. Steinem became the most prominent speaker of the
feminist movement. Vogue and Redbook magazine printed articles on her. On August 16,
1971, she graced the cover of Newsweek magazine and Esquire ran an article on her titled
“She: The Awesome Power of Gloria Steinem.”
In 1971, Steinem and other feminist leaders formed the National Women’s
Political Caucus (NWPC). Among the group’s founders were Betty Friedan, author of
The Feminine Mystique, Shirley Chisholm, the first African American woman elected to
the House of Representatives, and Bella Abzug, a congress woman from New York. The
organization supported women in bid for public office. Out of this group came the
Women’s Action Alliance (WAA) which helped abused women and those treated
unfairly in the work place.
Though Steinem’s more recent fame had come from organizing and speaking, she
still felt she was primarily a writer. In 1971, there was little opportunity for the kind of
feminist pieces she wanted to write. Most women’s magazines were structured around
housekeeping, marriage, raising children and makeup. She wanted to write much more
serious pieces that challenged these stereotypes, so she felt she had to create her own
opportunity. She began having informal meetings with other feminist writers to discuss
starting a new magazine. Many female writers were very supportive of Steinem and her
intentions, so she decided to pursue her idea. With the help of Clay Felker, the founder of
New York Magazine, she was able to incorporate a small sample issue of the feminist
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magazine into the December 1971 issue. The magazine, titled Ms., had a great affect on
those who read it. In only eight days more than 300, 000 copies of the January 1972
premier issue were sold and thousands of subscription orders were placed. Many thought
the magazine was “too radical” and would weaken society with its feminist message.
Others who were part of the feminist movement thought it was not radical enough and
advised Steinem and her staff to be less commercial with their beliefs in order to gain
more support.
Despite this initial opposition, Ms., continued to be a success with its readers.
Steinem soon began to search for a new way to benefit the feminist movement. In 1972,
Steinem and her coworkers started the Ms. Foundation for Women. At that time, no
organizations were giving money to women’s causes and Steinem wanted to use the
profits of the magazine for something substantial. Still active today, the Ms. Foundation
raises money and awareness that benefit projects helping women and girls; Ms. programs
encourage self esteem and self expression. As Steinem wrote, “Believing in a true self is
what allows a true self to be born” (Attebury 74).
A traditional women’s magazine, McCall’s, named Gloria Steinem the Woman of
the Year in 1972. “Steinem’s name and face had become synonymous with the women’s
movement” (Attebury 75). As she continued to rise in popularity, she began participating
in politics as a member of the Democratic Party. She represented the NWPC as a delegate
at the 1972 democratic convention. Her choice to become a delegate as well her
increasing role in the feminist movement led to some of the movement’s founders to turn
against her, including Betty Friedan and The Redstocking whom she’d once rallied with.
They claimed she was taking focus away from the group and her views on feminism were
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not radical enough. Feminists began to fight amongst themselves around different
opinions on abortion rights and other topics, although the movement still showed
powerful force.
By the late 1970s, feminism had become an international issue. The United
Nations declared 1975 to be International Woman’s Year. In 1977, Jimmy Carter formed
the International Women’s Year commission that would organize an international
conference for women. Steinem and many other prominent female leaders were elected to
serve at the conference, which brought together women from a variety of different
backgrounds with many different issues to address. In Steinem’s mind, the conference
showed women could come together and accomplish wonderful things.
In 1993, Steinem was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in Seneca
Falls, New York. In 1995, Parenting magazine selected her as the winner of the Lifetime
Achievement Award and Biography Magazine listed her as one of the 25 most influential
people in America. Gloria Steinem continues to involve herself in politics as a writer,
commentator, and spokeswoman. In 2004, she took part in the March for Women’s Lives
which demanded political and social justice for women and girls regardless of age, race,
religion and economic status. With over one million people, this was the largest crowd
that ever gathered in the history of the United States (Attebury 91). In 2005, she spoke
on behalf of the state of the women’s movement at Boise State University. The women’s
center of the university introduced her as “a woman who has literally changed the course
of history.” That same year, she was recognized for her leadership and determination for
advancing women’s rights. She remains a consulting editor of Ms., which has readers all
over the world. Women in jail and those who live in shelters for abused women receive
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free copies of the magazine. She is currently at work on Road to the Heart: America as if
Everyone Mattered which describes her more than thirty years of work as a feminist
organizer.
In conclusion, Gloria Steinem played a prominent role in the feminist movement
of the 1960s and 1970s by informing the world and bringing women together to create
change. With her commentaries, speeches and written pieces she continues to encourage
and inspire women all over the world to be strong and acknowledge the things in which
they deserve. As a feminist intellectual, activist, spokeswoman and journalist, she has
benefitted the world and what it means to be a woman today.
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References:
Attebury, Nancy Garhan. Gloria Steinem: Champion of Women's Rights. Minneapolis,
MN: Compass Point, 2006. Print.
Freedman, Estelle B. The Essential Feminist Reader. New York: Modern Library, 2007.
Print.
Schneir, Miriam. Feminism in Our Time: the Essential Writings, World War II to the
Present. New York: Vintage, 1994. Print.
Steinem, Gloria. "After Black Power, Women's Liberation." New York Magazine [New
York] 7 Apr. 1969. Print.
Steinem, Gloria. "'Anonymous Was a Woman'" New York Times 11 Aug. 1968: BR8.
Print.
Steinem, Gloria. "'I Was a Playboy Bunny'" Show Magazine 1963. Print.
Steinem, Gloria. "'Nylons in the Newsroom'" New York Times 7 Nov. 1965: X23. Print.
Steinem, Gloria. Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions. New York: Holt, Rinehart,
and Winston, 1983. Print.
The Official Website of Author and Activist Gloria Steinem - Home. Web. 25 Sept. 2010.
<http://www.gloriasteinem.com/>.
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