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Going Undercover as a Playboy Bunny
Steinem went undercover for a month to expose the work conditions of being a Playboy Bunny for Show magazine. After her time undercover, she exposed Playboy for not paying the Bunnies as much as promised. Most of their tips were taken away and the women were constantly objectified and forced to change their appearances if they didn't meet the magazine's expectations. This was the start to Gloria's goal of being a writer who discusses women's issues that aren't commonly talked about. -
Aiding in the Development of the National Women's Political Caucus
Steinem, alongside other feminists such as: Betty Friedan, Shirley Chisholm, and Bella Abzug, helped find the National Women's Political Caucus in 1971. The goal of this organization was to involve women more in political affairs. Fighters for women's rights were inspired to create this organization when the Equal Rights Amendment failed to pass. They saw that change could only happen if women were involved in political decisions. This was just the beginning of Gloria's impact on the movement. -
First Regular Issue of "Ms." Magazine Released
The "Ms." magazine, which Steinem found, was known as the first feminist magazine. It discussed many issues that women faced at the time, but were never discussed, such as: domestic violence, abortion, and the Equal Rights Amendment. It started out as a one-shot insert, but after gaining so much attention, Steinem and other founders posted the first regular issue of many in July of 1972. This inspired her to use a platform to discuss important feminist issues. -
Receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom
In 2013, Steinem was honored by President Obama by receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom. She received this for her work as a writer and activist for the feminist movement. This medal is given to those who have made large contributions to peace and culture in American society. Gloria stated that she understood that this medal wasn't just for herself, but for the feminist movement as a whole. This is a big recognition of the efforts early feminists made to bring us to where we are today. -
References
Chang, R. (2020, March 23). Inside Gloria Steinem’s Month as an Undercover Playboy Bunny. Biography. www.biography.com/news/gloria-steinem-undercover-playboy-bunny
Foster, E. (2013, Nov 21). Gloria Steinem: A Liberator Gets The Medal of Freedom. Ourfuture. rfuture.org/20131121/gloria-steinem-a-liberator-gets-the-medal-of-freedom
Ms Magazine. (2020). About Ms. https://msmagazine.com/about/
National Womens Political Caucus. (2020). History. Nwcp. https://www.nwpc.org/history/
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