The Independent World
· collected 2026-09-03 · by Paul Farrell and Ariana Baio
Gloria Steinem, the journalist and women’s activist who became an icon of the modern feminist movement, died Wednesday at 92 years old, her foundation announced in an Instagram post.
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foundation → become → post
Steinem was a leader of the second-wave feminist movement in the late 1960s, challenging the traditional domestic role of women, advocating for women to pursue higher education and careers as well as promoting reproductive freedom.
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women → challenge → freedom
Her leadership inspired generations of women to aim big and challenge the norm.
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leadership → inspire → norm
Recognized everywhere by her signature streaked hair, parted down the middle and large aviator glasses, Steinem was an unmistakable presence.
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Steinem → recognize → middle
She spent much of her life as an advocate, traveling and frequently speaking at universities, community centers, rallies and public marches.
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She → spend → universities
“Gloria’s near-century on earth were years well-lived, and she continued working for equality until the very end,” the post read in part, her foundation wrote in the social media post.
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foundation → live → post
“Gloria’s greatest gift was her ability to listen to others, to make others feel seen and heard.
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others → listen → others
Her words, actions, and example gave people permission to be their truest selves.
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words → give → permission
Gloria lived true to her independent spirit, always with curiosity and a great sense of humor.
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Gloria → live → humor
Steinem passed away at her New York City home, surrounded by loved ones.
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Steinem → pass → ones
Before becoming a dedicated activist, Steinem’s career originated in journalism.
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career → become → journalism
That included a 1963 undercover assignment exposing degrading conditions in Hugh Hefner’s “Playboy” empire – an effort she ultimately regretted.
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she → include → empire
In 1971, she co-founded “Ms. Magazine,” the first major publication to be owned, run and written by women.
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she → co → women
It broke the traditional mold by publishing stories that raised awareness about issues facing women and girls at a time when most mainstream media were not.
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media → break → time
But her focus shifted years later during a meeting where women forcefully advocated for abortion rights.
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women → shift → rights
Following the reversal of Roe v. Wade, Steinem, who had a secret illegal abortion at age 22
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who → follow → age
, told the Associated Press in a 2022 email: "That speak-out was the beginning of activism for me."
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out → tell → me
She added, "Either our control over our own bodies is equal, regardless of sex or race, or we’re not living in a democracy."
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we → add → democracy
Steinem viewed her role as "an entrepreneur of social change."
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Steinem → view → change
Throughout her career, she launched the National Women's Political Caucus alongside former Reps. Bella Abzug and Shirley Chisholm, as well as author Betty Friedan, whose 1963 landmark "The Feminine Mystique" inaugurated second-wave feminism.
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landmark → launch → feminism
Her organizational legacy also includes founding the Ms. Foundation for Women, Voters for Choice, the Women's Media Center and the Coalition of Labor Union Women.
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legacy → include → Women
"I want to do justice to the women I meet, to tell their stories," she told The New Yorker magazine in 2015.
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she → want → 2015
"It's making connections, and using myself to listen, because we can't empower women without listening to their stories."
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we → make → stories
Steinem also became a stylish icon of a feminist movement, which she stressed must represent women of every race.
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she → become → race
"If you've suffered discrimination, you're sensitive to it on every level.
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you → suffer → level
I learned feminism largely from Black women.
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I → learn → women
Women of color basically invented feminism," she told The New Yorker.
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she → invent → Yorker
In 2013, then-President Barack Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor.
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Obama → award → Freedom
"From reluctant spokesperson to a beacon of positive change, hers is a singular journey - an American leader who can speak to us all," film and theater director Julie Taymor said of Steinem in a 2017 New York Times interview.
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Taymor → speak → interview
Taymor later directed the 2020 movie "The Glorias," adapted from Steinem's 2015 best-selling autobiography "My Life on the Road."
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Taymor → direct → Road
Steinem was born in Toledo, Ohio, on March 25, 1934, to a Presbyterian mother, Ruth, and a Jewish father, Leo.
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Steinem → bear → mother
In 2020, she told The Independent about her relationship with her father after her mother’s nervous breakdown.
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she → tell → breakdown
“He was one of the most irresponsible people on Earth, and it didn't matter,” Gloria recalled fondly.
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Gloria → matter → Earth
“Because he was kind, he was funny, he treated me as his buddy and his companion.
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he → treat → buddy
[And] because I had a good father I knew they were good men.”
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they → have → father
Steinem began working as a freelance journalist after graduating from Smith College.
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Steinem → begin → College
In 1963, she spent 11 days working undercover as a Playboy bunny for an assignment for Show magazine.
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she → spend → magazine
Her seminal two-part investigation, "A Bunny's Tale," detailed the low pay and misogynistic conditions faced by Playboy bunnies—who were originally waitstaff.
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who → detail → bunnies
The article was later adapted into a 1985 television film starring Kirstie Alley.
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article → adapt → Alley
She helped launch New York Magazine in 1968, where her essay "After Black Power, Women's Liberation" cemented her status as a prominent feminist voice during a period of turbulent social transition.
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essay → launch → transition
…and 14 more, not listed.
