Farewell to Gloria Steinem, the voice and face of US feminism
A journalist, writer and activist, she passed away at the age of 92 at her home in New York. She was renowned for her undercover investigation into working conditions at Playboy and her campaign for the right to abortion.
Gloria Steinem, a journalist, writer and activist – who became one of the most recognisable symbols of the US feminist movement of the 1960s and 1970s – has died at the age of 92. The news of her death, which occurred on Wednesday 2 September, was confirmed by her family and the official channels of her foundation.
“Yesterday, Gloria Steinem passed away peacefully at her home in New York, surrounded by some of the many people who loved her. The years – almost a century – she spent on earth were well lived, and she continued to work for equality right up to the end,” reads the foundation’s official Instagram profile. ‘Her greatest gift,’ it continues, ‘was her ability to listen to others, to make others feel valued and heard. Her words, actions and example helped people to be more true to themselves. Gloria lived authentically, always with curiosity and a great sense of humour. She spent her final years doing the two things she loved most: being in community with others and writing. She welcomed hundreds of guests into her dining room for Talking Circles, a tradition she was convinced would continue long after her death.”
“As she wrote in her forthcoming book, An Unexpected Life,” the commemorative message continues, “I have lived for more than fifty years in this brownstone, in rooms that have witnessed lives before mine, and will witness others after I am gone.” This book, together with her commitment to making her home a hub for social justice movements, are among the many gifts that Gloria gave to the world in the hope that they would have an impact on future generations. Gloria often quoted the saying: “The flutter of a butterfly’s wings can change the weather hundreds of miles from here”. Gloria loved the tradition of lighting signal fires on hills to light the way to the other side of the mountain. Lighting a candle in Gloria’s memory is part of this global and heavenly community. Instead of flowers – the post concludes – she has asked those who wish to honour her with a gift to make a donation to the Gloria Foundation.”
A life dedicated to ‘in-person’ activism
Co-founder of Ms. magazine, she was for decades one of the most prominent voices in the fight for women’s rights in the United States, taking part in demonstrations and marches and speaking at universities and community centres. Her career began in journalism. In 1963, she carried out an investigation into working conditions within Hugh Hefner’s Playboy empire, conducting the inquiry undercover – an experience she later said she regretted. Six years later, a meeting at which a number of women publicly recounted their experiences and advocated for the right to abortion marked, according to Steinem, a turning point in her life. “That public testimony was the beginning of my activism,” she told the Associated Press in 2022, recalling the debate that followed the Supreme Court ruling which had overturned Roe v. Wade.
Steinem had recounted having undergone a clandestine abortion at the age of 22, which was illegal at the time. ‘Either control over our bodies is the same, regardless of gender or race, or we do not live in a democracy,’ she had stated. In a 2015 interview with the Associated Press, Steinem had also emphasised the importance of physical presence in activism: “You can’t do it over the phone or online. You have to be there with all five senses.”
