Journalist and activist Gloria Steinem dedicated her life to fighting for women's rights, from reproductive freedom to workplace equality. Now, after her death at age 92, notable figures from politics to pop culture are offering their remembrances — and personal thanks — to the feminist icon. They're also vowing to continue her work.
"She pushed open doors not just for herself, but for literally millions of women behind her," former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton — the first female presidential nominee of a major U.S. political party — wrote in a lengthy Facebook tribute. Clinton was one of many women in national politics sharing their praise and gratitude for Steinem. Others include former first lady Jill Biden, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Minority whip Katherine Clark, who said she hung a pair of photos of Steinem and Dorothy Pitman Hughes on her office wall the day she moved in.
I hung up these photos of Gloria Steinem and Dorothy Pitman Hughes the day I moved into the Whip’s office.Gloria is and will always be a reminder of what’s possible when we fight in solidarity with one another.A trailblazer and a titan for women and the progressive movement.… pic.twitter.com/nVYjnYwQmX "She wasn't going to be an astronaut, but my goodness, she made it possible for Sally Ride to be an astronaut," Clinton wrote. "She wasn't going to play college sports, but she stood behind the women in Congress who passed Title IX and opened up opportunities in sports and academics for girls. And she wasn't on the Supreme Court when Roe v.
Wade was decided, but her voice and her activism was behind that advancement for women's rights." Steinem emerged in the 1960s as a leading face of second-wave feminism. That role was firmly cemented the following decade, when she co-founded both the National Women's Political Caucus and Ms. magazine. Steinem helped normalize conversations about workplace sexism, bursting onto the scene in 1963 with an exposé about her undercover stint as a waitress at Hugh Hefner's New York Playboy Club, and abortion, after sharing her experience getting one abroad in the 1950s.
She is credited with helping increase the number of women in elected office and bringing feminism into the mainstream at a time when the law kept women from obtaining credit cards and bank accounts in their own names. After her death on Wednesday, younger generations of high-profile women took to social media to honor and thank Steinem. Many of their stories were personal.
A post shared by Meghan, Duchess of Sussex (@meghan) Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, wrote about working with Steinem to mobilize young voters, making public appearances at interviews and award ceremonies. "But privately, she was even better than you would imagine- spending Thanksgiving with our family, introducing me to one of my best friends (forever the champion of female friendship), loving our children with her whole heart, counseling me during hard times, and giving extraordinary advice and perspective with a cup of tea and an unrivaled cheekiness and wit," she wrote, alongside photos including one of Steinem with her young son. Actress Julianne Moore wrote on Instagram that the time she spent studying Steinem — to play her in the 2020 film The Glorias — was "one of the most edifying of my life." "Everything I watched, everything I read, everything I observed about her gave me a template for how I wanted to behave," Moore wrote.
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