Gloria Steinem, the author and activist who became one of the most visible symbols and potent voices of the women’s movement in the United States and a fierce advocate for feminist causes throughout her life, has died at the age of 92. With her trademark streaked hair parted down the middle and large aviator glasses, Steinem, a cofounder of Ms Magazine, was a hugely recognisable presence wherever she went. And she went everywhere: much of her life as an advocate was spent on the road, speaking at college campuses and community centres, at rallies and marches.
She died on Wednesday at her home in New York City, according to her foundation’s social media pages. Gloria lived true to her independent spirit, always with curiosity and a great sense of humour.” Steinem enjoyed writing and spending time in the community in recent years, the posts said. She also hosted talking circles for hundreds of people in her home.
It should be obvious that people can’t empathise with each other unless we’re in the same room.” Steinem began her career as a journalist, notably one who reported, in 1963, on degrading conditions in Hugh Hefner’s Playboy empire, an undercover assignment she later came to regret. She credits a meeting six years later, where women spoke out boldly in favour of abortion rights, with changing her career path. She would have simply stuck to writing, she said, if only editors at the time had been willing to let her write about the women’s movement.
Time hardly slowed Steinem down; well into her 80s she was travelling the globe and speaking out on issues of importance to her. These included everything from genital mutilation to Korean reconciliation, but it was equality for women that took precedence.
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