For as expansive as the term 'feminist icon' may appear to be, on Gloria Steinem, it feels reductive. She passed on September 2 at her home in New York, marking the end of her life at 92. But potentially the most significant thing about her years in the public eye, was the fact she was one woman, who lived countless lives, many of which potentially feel immortal as we understand them today.
\n\nDepending on which of these lives resonates with an ardent admirer the most, Steinem can be remember as the young journalist on the precipice of changing the world, the writer whose words fortified the pen as still mightier or the activist who became a primary architect of second-wave feminism besides other giants like Betty Friedan and Simone de Beauvoir. But to truly understand the profundity of her impact, one needs to look past the essays, causes and labels. Steinem's more enduring gift was structural. She realised early on that change will last on the shoulders of an icon for only so long. Their real momentum will be ever-dependent on institutions, networks, conversations and people who need to be taught to take over.
\n\nThe nuance of this realisation, incidentally…
Original source: https://www.timesnownews.com/lifestyle
