Coming Into Fullness with Gloria Steinem

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As candid and provocative as ever, she speaks from the insight of decades of social observation and action. We hear her personal recollections of coming of age in the old paradigm, and how it feels to be a woman over sixty. Crossing a wide vista of cultural topics, she brings new meaning to Sigmund Freud, Marilyn Monroe, spirituality, support networks, business collectives and more. Listen in as she presents a clear concept of what women and society need most right now, and how to go about accomplishing that--it's up to us. "All lasting change," she reminds us, "happens from the bottom up, not from the top down." (hosted by Justine Willis Toms)

Bio

Gloria Steinem (1934-2026) was an American journalist and activist who became a leading voice of second-wave feminism. Raised in Toledo, Ohio, she graduated from Smith College in 1956 and spent two years in India on a fellowship, absorbing grassroots organizing skills that later shaped her activism. She gained national attention with her 1963 exposé on working conditions at a Playboy Club, then co-founded New York magazine (1968) and Ms. magazine (1971-72), the first national magazine run by women. Steinem co-founded the National Women's Political Caucus and, later, the Women's Media Center. In 2013, President Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Gloria Steinem's books include:

• Revolution From Within (Little Brown 1992)
• Moving Beyond Words (Simon & Schuster 1994)
• My Life on the Road (Random House 2016)
• Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions: Third Edition (Picador 2019)
• The Truth Will Set You Free, But First It Will Piss You Off!: Thoughts on Life, Love, and Rebellion (Random House 2019)
• An Unexpected Life: A Memoir (Random House 2026)

Topics explored in this dialogue include:

• Developing your inner resources
• The role of spirituality in political work
•  The cultural politics of advertising--and how you can change them
•  Some creative ideas for community organizing toward effective action
• Coming of age as a young American woman in the '40s and '50s
• The freedom of being a woman over sixty
•  How young women learn to be "female impersonators"
• Thoughts on Sigmund Freud and her own provocative satire of him
• The question of childhood sexual abuse memories
• The promise of small-scale business collectives

Host: Justine Willis Toms    Interview Date: 5/19/1994   Program Number: 2466