Media Moment: "Gloria Steinem, a Woman Like No Other”

“We’ve not seen another Gloria Steinem because there is only one Gloria, and someone with her combination of conviction, wit, smarts and grace under fire doesn’t come along every day.”

                                                                                                            –Susan Faludi

    

      I was looking up articles about Gloria Steinem, after Oprah called her the face of the feminist movement. In this New York Times article I learned that Steinem was the recipient of Glamour magazine’s lifetime achievement award claiming that she “was to women’s movement what martin Luther King Jr. was to civil rights: the galvanizer.” She has been a lone revolutionary since the 1970’s at the time when the Senate was first debating the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment when she was 36 years old. In her lifetime there has not been another Gloria Steinem or anyone trying to take her place for that matter. She has been the singular voice of opposition on feminist issues. However a few critics have opposed and claimed that Steinman is NOT the best leader for this movement. One critic says;

“This movement needs a different kind of leader,” Ms. Martin said. “It doesn’t create stars.”

Question: Do you agree with the critics that Gloria Steinmen is not the “right” face of the feminist movement? Is there such a thing as a right leader? Do you think that her race may lead people to believe that feminism is only for the privileged?

If you would like to learn more about author, lecturer, editor and activist Gloria Steinmen, visit her website to become inspired and get more involved in what you care about!