Gloria Steinem: Feminist activist and Ms Magazine co-founder Gloria Steinem dies at 92

Gloria Steinem, the celebrated author, journalist and activist who became one of the most prominent voices of the US women’s movement and a fierce advocate for gender equality, has died at the age of 92.Steinem died Wednesday at her home in New York City, according to posts on her and her foundation’s social media accounts.A co-founder of Ms Magazine, Steinem became one of the most recognisable figures of the feminist movement. With her trademark streaked hair, large aviator glasses and distinctive style, she spent decades travelling across the US and abroad, speaking at college campuses, community centres, rallies and marches.Steinem began her career as a journalist. In 1963, she went undercover to report on working conditions at Hugh Hefner’s Playboy Club, an assignment she later said she regretted.Her career took a decisive turn after attending a 1969 meeting where women spoke openly about abortion rights.“That speak-out was the beginning of activism for me,” Steinem told the Associated Press in 2022 while reflecting on the reversal of Roe v Wade. “Either our control over our own bodies is equal, regardless of sex or race, or we’re not living in a democracy.”Steinem had undergone a secret illegal abortion at the age of 22, an experience that later shaped her views on reproductive rights.Although she became a leading public speaker, Steinem said she had initially been deeply afraid of speaking in public. She told the AP in 2015 that she would have preferred to remain a writer if editors had been willing to publish more of her work on the women’s movement.“So I ended up going out and speaking, which was my nightmare,” she said. “I mean, I was terrified. But I’m grateful, even though I still get scared even now.”Steinem remained active well into her 80s, travelling around the world and campaigning on issues ranging from female genital mutilation to Korean reconciliation. Gender equality, however, remained central to her work.Her public presence continued for decades. At 83, she attended her first fashion show, sitting in the front row as a guest of designer Prabal Gurung.At 85, she led a women’s “talking circle” at an off-Broadway play about her life, where audience members shared personal experiences of discrimination and thanked her for her work.In 2020, her life was portrayed in “The Glorias, A Life on The Road”, based on her 2015 memoir and starring Julianne Moore.Steinem remained involved in advocacy and writing in her later years. At 91, she collaborated with Liberian peace activist and Nobel laureate Leymah Gbowee on a picture book aimed at inspiring young people to create change.