Gloria Steinem, a pioneering figure in the women’s rights movement, passed away on September 2 at the age of 92, leaving behind a legacy marked by decades of activism, advocacy, and cultural influence. Throughout her life, Steinem played a critical role in shaping the landscape of feminist and social justice movements in the United States.
Steinem co-founded the National Women’s Political Caucus and launched Ms. Magazine in 1972, a publication that transformed how American women saw themselves and their roles in society by addressing issues beyond traditional homemaking and fashion. She was also known for her leadership in numerous marches and grassroots campaigns aimed at advancing gender equality and social justice.
Born into a peripatetic family, Steinem’s early years were shaped by frequent moves due to her father’s unstable employment and her mother’s struggles with anxiety. Despite these challenges, she developed an early habit of reading street signs, a memory she detailed in her 2015 memoir, *My Life on the Road*. The book also reflects on her realization of the intersectionality of race and gender justice, sparked by her experience at the 1963 March on Washington. There, Steinem observed the absence of women speakers other than Dorothy Height, leader of the National Council of Negro Women, and came to understand deeper systemic inequities, including the racial control of women’s reproductive rights.
Steinem credited civil rights activist and lawyer Florynce Kennedy with shaping her approach to activism, particularly the strategy of addressing hecklers with calm and humor during their campus lectures in the 1970s. Kennedy’s advice—to pause, let the hostility settle, then dismiss it—highlighted the necessity and impact of their presence in challenging hostile audiences.
In 2015, Steinem reflected on her undercover investigation as a Playboy Bunny in the 1960s, a pivotal moment that exposed the exploitative work conditions and male-centric nature of the sexual revolution as promoted by Playboy magazine. When the magazine announced in 2015 that it would cease publishing nude photos, Steinem criticized the move as superficial, asserting that true change requires a fundamental shift in cultural attitudes about gender and humanity.
Before her death, Steinem recorded an interview for Netflix’s “Famous Last Words,” expressing a final plea to future generations: to share their stories. She emphasized storytelling as a vital means for understanding and connecting with one another, a theme echoed by writer Anne Lamott, who has credited *Ms. Magazine* with inspiring her own candid explorations of the human experience.
Steinem’s passing marks the close of a remarkable chapter in American feminist history, but her call for empathy through storytelling and her lifelong commitment to justice endure as guiding principles for those who continue to fight for equality and human rights.