Gloria Steinem

From wikigender.org

Jump to: navigation, search

Gloria Steinem was born in Ohia (US) on March 25, 1934. She is a renowned feminist of the 'second wave' of feminism, political commentator and leading campaigner of the pro-choice movement in the United States.

Education and Early Career

Gloria Steinem attended Smith College before starting a career as a journalist. She wrote an article on contraception in 1962 for the magazine Esquire. In 1963, working on an article for Huntington Hartford's Show magazine, she was employed as a Playboy Bunny at the New York Playboy Club. The article featured a photo of Steinem in Bunny uniform and exposed how women were treated at the clubs. The article caused a sensation and established Steinem as a spokesperson for feminist issues.

Ms magazine and Politics

From 1968-1972, she wrote for New York Magazine, writing articles on subjects related to women including abortion, genital mutilation and pornography. These are themes that she would revisit throughout her journalistic career. In 1972, she co-founded the feminist-themed Ms. magazine. It began as a special edition of New York Magazine; its first issue sold out nationwide in eight days. It generated an astonishing 26,000 subscription orders and over 20,000 reader letters within weeks.

Steinem became politically active in the feminist movement. Steinem co-founded the Coalition of Labor Union Women in 1974, and participated in the National Conference of Women in Houston, Texas in 1977. In 1971 she was a co-convener of the National Women's Political Caucus and in l972 helped found the MS Foundation for Women, which raises funds to assist underprivileged girls and women.

She has been involved as a consultant as well as a journalist in national elections; she threw her support behind Senator Clinton's candidature for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination.

Publications

The Thousand Indias (1957)l; The Beach Book (1963); Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions (1983); Marilyn: Norma Jean (1986); Revolution from Within (1992); Moving beyond Words (1993); Doing Sixty & Seventy (2006)

References

The Education of A Woman: The Life and Times of Gloria Steinem by Carolyn Heilbrun 1995
Gloria Steinem: Her Passions, Politics, and Mystique by Sydney Ladenshon Stern 1997