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| Gloria Steinem, known as the face of feminism |
As an adult she became a face for the modern feminist movement. Gloria was an investigative journalist who became well known for her articles covering the hot topics of the time, like the birth control pill and abortion. Her most famous article from this time period was an investigative piece on the Play Boy Club in New York and the treatment of the bunnies there. This piece called out the entitlement of the American capitalist movement when it came to beautiful women and the exploitation of these women.
This article led to a lot of success and some setbacks for Gloria. She became a renounced journalist who founded Ms. Magazine with her fellow feminist activist Dorothy Pitman Hughes in 1971. This magazine had Gloria traveling internationally to speak with working women around the world and displayed them as equals with just as many stories to tell as men.
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| Gloria as an undercover Play Boy bunny |
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| Alice Walker and Gloria on the cover of Ms. in 2009 |
While Gloria faced her many successes, she also faced a lot of criticism from other feminists in the same movement. A lot of backlash from her Play Boy piece was the photos of her time undercover. She wore a bunny costume and was deemed "too attractive" to be a feminist.
Gloria was also faced with claims of her hypocrisy, she claimed to be against marriage due to the way it consumed and erased the female identity, but Gloria married a man in 2001. After these claims of hypocrisy she stated that marriage now is much more equal between a man and woman since she can now keep her finances and her name separate from her husband's.
Gloria, now 85, is continuously working for the rights of women globally, her show WOMAN, premiered on Vice recently. The show looks at the violence faced by women around the world and how this violence can lead eventually to global instability. The show is narrated by Gloria and is a collaborative effort made by several female journalists.
Gloria's efforts during her life and the efforts she stills puts towards women's rights internationally is what cements her as one of the most prominent faces of the modern feminist movement.
Works Cited
“About.” Gloria Steinem, Office of Gloria Steinem, Brooklyn, New York, http://www.gloriasteinem.com/about.
Glyder, Kimberly, et al. “How Gloria Steinem Became the 'World's Most Famous Feminist'.” How Gloria Steinem Became the "World's Most Famous Feminist", 25 Mar. 2019, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/2019/03/how-gloria-steinem-became-worlds-most-famous-feminist/.
Staff, VICE. “Don't Miss the Premiere of Gloria Steinem's 'WOMAN' Tonight on VICELAND.” Vice, 10 May 2016, https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/xd7nnn/tonight-on-viceland-woman-premiere-gloria-steinem.
VICELAND. “WOMAN with Gloria Steinem (Trailer).” YouTube, YouTube, 11 Apr. 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7DbPE4salw#action=share.
Hannah, after your comment in class about how you loved Gloria Steinem but never heard of her before, I was immediately intrigued and wanted to read your blog post. I never heard of her either, but I agree- she is phenomenal. I thought it was so interesting, and very brave of her, to write articles about topics that, in her time, were very controversial (and still can be (abortion and birth control pills)). I think taking such a public stand to fight for the rights of women is incredibly brave and empowering. When I read about her writing an article about the treatment of the bunnies in the New York Playboy Club, I couldn't believe that she was able to find the courage to write publicly about such a famous club. She represented these women who were being sexually harassed and disrespected morally and physically, and she became the face of the fight for equality for women all around the world. I could not believe all the organizations she created and is involved in all around the world. Not only is she fighting for women's rights in America, but she is a fighter for women everywhere. Her involvement in all of these organizations is phenomenal and really shows just how dedicated she is to what she believes in. I also thought it was really interesting how there is a show that she created that is aired on VICE. I think showcasing the violence that women endure on such a widely viewed platform is incredible. She truly uses every media outlet possible to raise awareness on the battles that women endure everyday.
ReplyDeleteI really liked your organization of your blog and all of the photos and video clip you included. I enjoyed reading this post, and learning about Gloria Steinem!
-Kayleigh
It honestly amazes me sometimes what people will say about feminism. The part where people said she was to attractive to be a feminist and was against marriage really tested me. But overall your blog was great. I had never heard of Gloria before so I enjoyed learning about a new person. She takes charge and let's you know what she wants and means business. She's a brave woman and ill have to check out her show.
ReplyDeleteI love the way your blog highlights Gloria's go getter attitude. With Playboy being as big of a deal as it was, it must have been extremely difficult for Gloria to get an in. I could not even imagine the amount of courage it must have taken to write such a risky article and put her name out there. I had previously heard about the Playboy article but I did not know about the "hypocritical" comments made about her and marriage, so it was nice to read more in depth about such a hard working woman.
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