Gloria Steinem, the American journalist and activist who became one of the most recognisable figures in the modern feminist movement, has died at her home in New York City. She was 92.
A statement shared via her Instagram account confirmed the news, describing how Steinem “passed away peacefully” surrounded by loved ones. “Gloria’s near-century on earth were years well-lived, and she continued working for equality until the very end,” the post read. “Her words, actions, and example gave people permission to be their truest selves.”
A Trailer, a Supreme Court, and a Movement
Born in Toledo, Ohio in 1934, Steinem’s early years were marked by hardship. Her mother’s mental illness meant the family moved frequently, sometimes living in a trailer home while her mother cycled through sanatoriums. At 10, her parents separated, leaving young Gloria to witness the systemic challenges faced by women navigating work and family life.
After graduating from Smith College in 1956, Steinem travelled to India, working as a legal clerk in the country’s Supreme Court. Upon returning to the United States, she took a position with the Independent Research Service – later revealed to be a CIA-funded organisation that recruited students to attend Soviet-controlled World Youth Festivals in Vienna and Helsinki. Steinem always maintained she knew who funded the operation. “If I had a choice I would do it again,” she later said.
Going Undercover: The Playboy Bunny Exposé
Steinem’s breakthrough in journalism came in 1963, when she went undercover as a Playboy Bunny for 11 days. Her two-part investigation exposed the harsh realities of working at Hugh Hefner’s clubs – forced into constrictive costumes and high heels, she lost 10 pounds during her stint. Her manager celebrated by making her costume two inches tighter. The article proved career-defining, though Steinem found herself blacklisted afterwards. “Because I had now become a Bunny – and it didn’t matter why,” she recalled.
That same year, she penned The Moral Disarmament of Betty Coed for Esquire magazine – a feature on contraception that explored how women were pressured to choose between careers and family. It was the beginning of a prolific career that would see her author nine books and countless articles challenging discrimination in all its forms.
From Reproductive Freedom to the Women’s March
In 1968, Steinem joined New York magazine, where she would coin the phrase “reproductive freedom” for an article covering an abortion speakout in Greenwich Village. Having undergone an abortion herself in London at age 22, she described a profound moment of realisation at the event. “I knew it was the first time I had taken responsibility for my own life,” she told the Observer in 2011. “I wasn’t going to let things happen to me. I was going to direct my life.”
Her most celebrated piece, If Men Could Menstruate, appeared in Ms. magazine – the publication she co-founded with Dorothy Pitman Hughes in 1971. The inaugural issue featured Wonder Woman on its cover, alongside an essay arguing the superhero should be restored to her feminist roots after having given up her powers for a male love interest. Steinem would go on to write landmark articles including After Black Power, Women’s Liberation, which cemented her status as a leading feminist voice.
Despite her public profile, she remained something of a reluctant warrior. Terrified of public speaking and conflict, Steinem leveraged her position as a white, educated woman to amplify voices traditionally ignored – black people, ethnic minorities, and the working class. She frequently credited Black feminists including Florynce Kennedy, Evelyn Cunningham, and Shirley Chisholm with teaching her the true meaning of activism.
She married environmental activist David Bale in 2000, becoming stepmother to actor Christian Bale following his father’s death in 2003. Throughout her life, she battled health challenges including breast cancer, diagnosed in 1986, and the chronic pain condition trigeminal neuralgia, diagnosed in 1994.
A Polarising Legacy
Steinem was not without controversy. Her 1998 opinion piece supporting President Bill Clinton against sexual harassment allegations drew widespread criticism. “He is not guilty of sexual harassment,” she wrote at the time. By 2017, she acknowledged the shift in public understanding. “We have to believe women. I wouldn’t write the same thing now.”
She was also criticised for perceived hostility toward transgender people in earlier writings, though she clarified her position in 2013: “Those lives should be celebrated, not questioned.”
In her later years, Steinem threw her energy into the Women’s March on Washington, co-chairing the mass protest held the day after Donald Trump’s inauguration in January 2017. “The galvanising of activism is like nothing I have ever seen in my life,” she told the Guardian that year. “A thousand times more even than the Vietnam war.”
Why it Matters
Gloria Steinem’s death marks the close of a remarkable chapter in the history of equality movements. From her undercover investigations to her tireless advocacy across issues spanning reproductive rights, racial justice, and LGBTQ+ equality, Steinem helped transform feminist thinking from a fringe ideology into a mainstream force reshaping legislation, workplace policies, and cultural attitudes worldwide. Her ability to articulate complex ideas in accessible language – whether in magazine essays or from protest podiums – gave millions permission to question entrenched systems and demand better. Though she leaves behind a complicated legacy marked by some controversial positions, her core contribution remains undeniable: she made the personal political, and proved that one person’s voice, amplified by courage and conviction, can indeed change the world.
