Gloria Steinem, the American feminist icon and founder of Ms. magazine, has died aged 92.
A joint post from her Instagram account and The Gloria Steinem Foundation confirmed she had yesterday “passed passed away peacefully at her home in New York City, surrounded by some of the many who loved her.”
“Gloria’s greatest gift was her ability to listen to others, to make others feel seen and heard. Her words, actions, and example gave people permission to be their truest selves,” the post read. “Gloria lived true to her independent spirit, always with curiosity and a great sense of humor.” Read the full note below.
In becoming one of the most-listened to voices in U.S. feminism, Steinem had spent most of her career in journalism. Among her most notable early stories was an exposé on Hugh Hefner’s Playboy empire, during which she went undercover as a Playboy Bunny to uncover the conditions facing the young women.
The story caused a huge debate in American society, though Steinem later said she regretted the assignment as the association blighted the rest of her career.
She went on to become a founder of Ms., which was among the first magazines to address women as more than housewives and homemakers in America. Steinem also was an early supporter of Women’s Action Alliance, a group focused on combating sexism.
During the 1970s, she became a key advocate for abortion rights after being inspired by women speaking at Roe vs Wade case, where the Supreme Court made abortion a constitutional right. The right was repealed in 2022, prompting Steinem to write in an email to the AP, “Either our control over our own bodies is equal, regardless of sex or race, or we’re not living in a democracy.
A documentary about Steinem’s life, Gloria: In Her Own Words, launched in 2011. Her memoir, My Life on the Road, was the basis for Julie Taymor biopic The Glorias, and she appeared on screen on the likes of 60 Minutes, The Daily Show and Charlie Rose and even in scripted series The Good Wife and And Just Like That… as herself.
