Gloria Steinem

Gloria Steinem, (1934- ), American writer and political activist, a leading figure in the women's rights movement. Born in Toledo, Ohio, Steinem graduated from Smith College in 1956. She also studied in India at the universities of Delhi and Calcutta (now Kolkata). Seeking work in journalism, in 1960 she got a job with Help!, a political-satire magazine in New York City. In 1963, after the success of her article “I Was a Playboy Bunny,” about working undercover in the Playboy Club in Manhattan, New York City, her articles began to appear in such chic magazines as Vogue, Glamour, and Cosmopolitan. From 1964 to 1965 she also wrote scripts for the popular television show “That Was the Week That Was.”

In 1968 Steinem began writing about politics in a weekly column for New York Magazine. She soon became involved in feminism and the women's movement. In 1971, with author Betty Friedan and politicians Bella Abzug and Shirley Chisholm, Steinem helped found the National Women's Political Caucus. That same year Steinem helped produce the first issue of the feminist Ms. magazine. From that time, Steinem became a role model for young women, espousing her belief that when women are liberated, men will become whole people as well. Her publications include the collection of essays and articles Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions (1983) and Marilyn (1986), a biography of American film star Marilyn Monroe. Steinem's Revolution from Within: A Book of Self-Esteem (1992) examined her feelings about herself within the context of the women's movement. In 1994 Moving Beyond Words, a collection of her essays on women's issues, was published.