Gloria Steinem, who helped pioneer the feminist movement in the US, died on Wednesday at the age of 92.
A post on her Instagram page reads, “Steinem passed away peacefully at her home in New York City on Wednesday, surrounded by some of the many who loved her. Gloria’s near-century on earth were years well-lived, and she continued working for equality until the very end.”
“Gloria’s greatest gift was her ability to listen to others, to make others feel seen and heard. Her words, actions, and example gave people permission to be their truest selves. Gloria lived true to her independent spirit, always with curiosity and a great sense of humor.”
The cause of death was not revealed.
Steinem was born in Toledo, Ohio in 1934, spending much of her childhood roaming the US in a trailer with her travelling salesman father, Leo, before returning to her hometown with her mother, Ruth, after the couple divorced, reports the New York Post.
Steinem’s rise to fame began as a journalist in New York, making her mark as a crusader of women’s rights by going undercover as a Playboy Bunny with the aim to expose the exploitation of the women working at the club.
She spent 11 days working at Manhattan’s Playboy Club, documenting her time there and writing an expose that shined a light on life behind the scenes as a bunny, which Playboy magazine described as a life of glitz and glamour.
Steinem lifted the lid on the reality, which was a world of exploitation where the women in the bunny outfits were underpaid, objectified, violent and harassed, as Steinem described it.
In 1968, she helped launch New York magazine, writing about politics, culture and the growing women’s liberation movement, according to the Post.
In 1972 she co-founded Ms.Magazine which became a national platform for abortion rights, equal pay, sexual harassment and other issues affecting women. The magazine is still in publication.
Later she helped found the National Women’s Political Caucus, with the goal of getting more women into political office, giving them a larger voice in government.
As she became more involved in promoting women’s rights, Steinem lead marches, rallies, appearing often on TV in support of abortion rights, the Equal Rights Amendment and broader equality while helping bring feminism into the mainstream.
There have been several documentaries of her life, including as a Playboy bunny, as well as movies, and television programs.
“Rose Byrne portrayed Steinem in the Hulu series, Mrs. America which chronicled the movement to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment," says the Post.
She did not marry until she was 66, marrying environmentalist David Bale, father of actor Christian Bale, in 2000. David died of brain lymphoma just three years later and Steinem, who never had children of her own, became stepmother to Bale’s four children.
In 2013, then President Barrack Obama awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Steinem, the highest civilian award in the US.
At the ceremony, Obama praised her for changing how women thought about themselves and for helping afford more respect and opportunities to women across America and globally.
Steinem responded, saying the accolade was not just for her, but a "medal for the entire women’s movement".
