Gloria Steinem

By: Jordan Kennedy

Gloria Steinem, born in 1934 in Ohio, was one of the leading voices of second-wave feminism by 1969—an articulate, stylish, and fiercely intelligent journalist who was rapidly becoming the public face of the women’s liberation movement. With a background in political writing and undercover investigative journalism (famously posing as a Playboy Bunny in 1963 to expose working conditions), Steinem was admired for her poise, eloquence, and ability to bring feminist ideas into the mainstream. She co-founded New York magazine and would go on to launch Ms. magazine, but even in 1969 she was already challenging the male-dominated media world with wit and clarity, writing powerfully about abortion rights, gender equality, and systemic sexism.

She carried herself with grace and quiet strength, often underestimated because of her striking looks, which she used to her advantage—turning media expectations inside out. Calm, unflinching, and never strident, Steinem was the kind of figure who could calmly demolish opponents in debate with measured words and piercing insight.