Gloria Steinem, 1972.
AMES, Iowa -- She learned about grassroots organizing in India in the 1950s, went undercover as a Playboy Bunny in the 1960s, co-founded Ms. Magazine in the 1970s, was arrested while protesting apartheid in the 1980s, co-produced an award-winning documentary in the 1990s and received a Presidential Medal of Freedom in the 2000s. Gloria Steinem will share stories of her life in a talk at Iowa State University.
"My Life on the Road" will be at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 11, in Stephens Auditorium, Iowa State Center. Tickets are not required for the general admission seating. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
A feminist icon, Steinem is a social activist, author and outspoken advocate for women's rights. Her most recent book, "My Life on the Road," details more than 30 years as a feminist leader. Steinem travels across the nation and throughout the world as an organizer and lecturer and is a frequent media spokeswoman on issues of equality.
Steinem started her career as a journalist, writing a famous 1963 exposé of New York City's Playboy Club after working undercover as a scantily clad waitress. After struggling to gain a foothold in the mostly male profession of magazine journalism in the 1960s, Steinem became a co-founding editor and writer for New York magazine. She covered political campaigns and progressive social issues.
In 1972, Steinem co-founded Ms. Magazine and served as its editor for 15 years. That year she was the first woman to speak at the National Press Club and also helped form the National Women's Political Caucus. Since then she has founded several organizations that focus on human rights issues, including the nonprofit Choice USA and the Women’s Media Center, which promotes positive images of women in the media.
Her books include "Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions," "Revolution from Within" and "Moving Beyond Words." She has been a prolific freelance writer, with articles published in Esquire, The New York Times Magazine and countless other publications here and abroad. Her writing appears in many anthologies and textbooks, and she was an editor of "The Reader's Companion to U. S. Women's History." Steinem also produced a documentary on child abuse for HBO and a feature film about the death penalty for Lifetime. In 2013, President Obama awarded Steinem the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Steinem's talk at Iowa State is co-sponsored by the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics, Margaret Sloss Women's Center, National Affairs Series, Society for the Advancement of Gender Equity, University Library, ISU women's and gender studies program, Ames Public Library Friends Foundation and the Committee on Lectures, which is funded by Student Government. More information is available online at ISU Lectures Program, or by calling 515-294-9935.
