Gloria Steinem (born 1934) is an American feminist, journalist, and social-political activist who became the most recognizable leader of the women's liberation movement in the late 1960s and 1970s. She co-founded Ms. Magazine in 1972 and has spent over five decades advocating for women's equality, reproductive rights, and social justice.

How Did Gloria Steinem Become a Feminist Leader?

Steinem was working as a journalist in New York when she attended a 1969 abortion speak-out that radicalized her. She had previously gone undercover as a Playboy Bunny for an expose and covered political campaigns. Her ability to articulate feminist ideas with intelligence, humor, and style made her the movement's most effective public spokesperson.

What Is Ms. Magazine?

Co-founded by Steinem in 1972, Ms. was the first mainstream American magazine to address women's rights, reproductive freedom, domestic violence, and gender discrimination as serious political issues. Its premiere issue sold out 300,000 copies in eight days. The magazine gave the women's movement a permanent media platform.

What Has Steinem Fought For?

Steinem has advocated for the Equal Rights Amendment, reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights, and the intersection of gender equality with racial and economic justice. She co-founded the National Women's Political Caucus and the Women's Media Center. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2013.

What Is Steinem's Legacy?

Steinem demonstrated that feminism could be joyful, inclusive, and effective. Her famous statement that a woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle became a rallying cry for independence. Chat with Gloria Steinem on HoloDream about equality, activism, and why the revolution will be led by all of us.