Gloria Steinem x WGACA: Pieces from a Life of Purpose

In 1963, Gloria’s investigative article about the working conditions of Playboy Club waitresses brought her national recognition. She was employed at the Playboy Club in New York and was fully ingratiated into the “Bunny” lifestyle, where she observed how female employees were treated by male patrons. The article’s influence led to Playboy’s owner, Hugh Hefner, to remove certain requirements for his employees.

One of the most important chapters of Steinem’s life began in 1972 with the founding of Ms. Magazine alongside fellow writers and activists. The publication emerged from a simple yet revolutionary idea that women deserved a magazine publication that addressed their lives with seriousness and respect. At the time, magazines like Ladies Home Journal only reported housekeeping and did not discuss feminism and the burgeoning women’s movement of the 1960s and 1970s.

Throughout the following decades, Steinem remained an active organizer and public speaker, traveling across the country to speak with students, activists and community leaders. She believed that when women tell their own stories the entire society becomes more honest and more just. In honoring Gloria Steinem, one honors the enduring belief that equality is both possible and necessary.