A Woman Who Challenged the Rules: A Tribute to Gloria Steinem

You might find yourself asking, who is Gloria Steinem? She was an incredibly influential woman in journalism, an activist in the women’s movement, and co-founded a handful of magazines that helped get her voice as a writer out there. She spoke on many controversial topics, such as politics and feminism.

Steinem passed away on September 2, 2026. She was born March 25, 1934, meaning she lived until she was 92. In that timeframe, she accomplished a lot in the journalism world.

In 2013, Steinem received the Presidential Medal of Freedom Award from Barack Obama. In 2019, she’d get the Freedom Award from the National Civil Rights Museum. Those are just a few of the awards Steinem received in her lifetime. 

You can learn more about her life on her website: https://www.gloriasteinem.com/about 

But by far the most notable thing Steinem was known for was busting the poor working conditions in the New York City location of Hugh Hefner’s Playboy Club.

Steinem was a feminist, so it might shock you to hear she became a Playboy Bunny in 1963. She went undercover and exposed what it was really like to work in the famed Playboy Club, all in the name of journalism and feminism. 

“‪The truth will set you free, but first it will p*** you off,” said  Steinem.

At Playboy, she discovered enough to poke holes into the facade and detailed it all in a story she called “A Bunny’s Tale.” To read more on how she went undercover, click here: https://www.biography.com/authors-writers/a70820016/gloria-steinem-playboy-bunny-undercover. 

Steinem was a powerful and beloved feminist icon in the journalism field who will be missed greatly. In her later years, she was often asked what next, what happened after she passed, to which she would say:

“At my age, in this still hierarchical time, people often ask me if I'm 'passing the torch.' I explain that I'm keeping my torch, thank you very much—and I'm using it to light the torches of others. Because the truth is that the old image of one person with a torch is part of the problem, not the solution. We each need a torch if we are to see where we're going. And together, we create so much more light.”

Steinem’s long running career in journalism impacted so many, and she left a mighty big footprint in the world of the press. 

May she rest in peace.