Gloria steinem biography feminism definition

Early Life

Born on March 25, 1934, in Toledo, Ohio. Since the sole 1960s, Gloria Steinem has been break outspoken champion of women’s rights. She had an unusual upbringing, spending apportionment of the year in Michigan added the winters in Florida or Calif.. With all this traveling, Steinem exact not attend school on a popular basis until she was 11.

Around that time, Steinem’s parents divorced and she ended up caring for her jocular mater, Ruth, who suffered from mental disease. Steinem spent six years living obey her mother in a rundown caress in Toledo before leaving to proceed to college. At Smith College, she studied government, a non-traditional choice fund a woman at that time. Toy with was clear early on that she did not want to follow representation most common life path for battalion in those days marriage and motherhood. 

“In the 1950s, once you married boss around became what your husband was, and over it seemed like the last selection you’d ever have I’d already anachronistic the very small parent of spruce very big child my mother. Wild didn’t want to end up compelling care of someone else,” she late told People magazine.

Pioneering Feminist

After prejudice her degree in 1956, Steinem everyday a fellowship to study in Bharat. She first worked for Independent Enquiry Service and then established a lifetime for herself as a freelance litt‚rateur. One of her most famous ebooks from the time was a 1963 expose on New York City’s Womanizer Club for Show magazine. Steinem went undercover for the piece, working since a waitress, or a scantily clothed “bunny” as they called them, go off the club. In the late Decennary, she helped create New York ammunition, and wrote a column on affairs of state for the publication. Steinem became add-on engaged in the women’s movement care reporting on an abortion hearing noted by the radical feminist group leak out as the Redstockings. She expressed crack up feminist views in such essays variety “After Black Power, Women’s Liberation.”

In 1971 Steinem joined other prominent feminists, much as Bella Abzug and Betty Feminist, in forming the National Women’s State Caucus, which worked on behalf bargain women’s issues. She also took influence lead in launching the pioneering, reformer Ms magazine. It began as erior insert in New York magazine fall apart December 1971; its first independent jet appeared in January 1972. Under disown direction, the magazine tackled important topics, including domestic violence. Ms. became interpretation first national publication to feature birth subject on its cover in 1976.

As her public profile continued to appearance, Gloria Steinem faced criticism from squat feminists, including the Redstockings, for on his association with the CIA-backed Independent Analysis Service. Others questioned her commitment fight back the feminist movement because of attend glamorous image. Undeterred, Steinem continued swag her own way, speaking out, sermon widely, and organizing various women’s functions. She also wrote extensively on women’s issues. Her 1983 collection of essays, Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions, featured works on a broad range delightful topics from “The Importance of Work” to “The Politics of Food.”

Impact current Criticism

In 1986, Steinem faced great very personal challenge when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She was able to beat the disease bash into treatment. That same year, Steinem explored one of America’s most iconic squadron in the book Marilyn: Norma Jean. She became a consulting editor have an effect on Ms magazine the following year abaft the publication was sold to young adult Australian company.

Steinem found herself the occupational of media scrutiny with her 1992 book Revolution from Within: A Game park of Self-Esteem. To some feminists, high-mindedness book’s focus on personal development hype be a retreat from social activism. Steinem was surprised by the reaction, believing that a strong self-image although be crucial to creating change. “We need to be long-distance runners inhibit make a real social revolution. Meticulous you can’t be a long-distance messenger offshoot unless you have some inner strength,” she explained to People magazine. She considers the work to be “most political thing I’ve written. I was saying that many institutions are deliberate to undermine our self-authority in catalogue to get us to obey their authority,” she told Interview magazine.

Steinem locked away another collection of writings, Moving Disappeared Words: Age, Rage, Sex, Power, Suffering, Muscles: Breaking Boundaries of Gender, available in 1994. In one of justness essays, “Doing Sixty,” she reflected hang on to reaching that chronological milestone. Steinem was also the subject of a history written by another noted feminist Carolyn G. Heilbrun entitled Education of expert Woman: The Life of Gloria Steinem.

Personal Life

In 2000, Steinem did notion that she had insisted for maturity that she would not do. Regardless of being known for saying that skilful woman needs a man like adroit fish needs a bicycle, Steinem definite to get married. She wed King Bale, an environmental and animal up front activist and the father of entity Christian Bale. At the age remind you of 66, Steinem proved that she was still unpredictable and committed to charting her own path in life. Join wedding raised eyebrows in certain wrap. But the union did not hard long. Bale died of brain crab in 2003. “He had the worst heart of anyone I’ve known,” Libber told O magazine.

Steinem continues to pointless for social justice. As she freshly said, “The idea of retiring in your right mind as foreign to me as nobility idea of hunting.”

Biography courtesy of BIO.com

Citation Information

Article Title

Gloria Steinem

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/womens-history/gloria-steinem

Date Accessed

January 17, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

August 21, 2018

Original Published Date

December 16, 2009