Happy Birthday Gloria Steinem
Filed by: Serena Freewomyn
March 25, 2008 5:30 PM
http://www.bilerico.com/2008/03/happy_birthday_gloria_steinem.phpFoxy feminist and founder of Ms. Magazine, Gloria Steinem, turns 74 today. hi_steinem.jpg She's just as active today as she was in the 70's, and we womyn have so much to thank her for. In my mind, it would be harder to pinpoint a more visible, or more active, figure in the feminist movement today. She's the modern equivalent of Elizabeth Cady Stanton or Susan B. Anthony.
In 1968, Steinem rocked the publishing world with her article "I Was a Playboy Bunny." Gloria had gone "undercover" as a Playboy Bunny to expose Hugh Heffner for what he was. It was NOT a glamorous lifestyle. Steinem's Bunny article is republished in her book Outrageous Acts and Every Day Rebellions, along with other essays and articles she has published over the years. One of my favorite chapters discusses Gloria's relationship with her mother. Growing up in a single-parent household, Gloria witnessed firsthand the injustices womyn face. Her mother had a nervous breakdown and was treated very harshly by her doctors. Because of her mother, Steinem was motivated to do something for womyn.
