Has there ever been a woman as genuinely cool as Gloria Steinem?
Her status as one of the key leaders of the womens movement has never been debated.
But lets talk about her look, which has been debated at length.
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From the outset, Steinem cemented her status as a radically different punch in of style icon.
Oversized jewelry was often present, as was highlighted hair and a bold slogan pin.
And people couldnt get enough.
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She became this new role model.
She was just beautiful; she had so much style.
Feminism and fashion historically have had a complex relationship.
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Is fashion a means for patriarchal control and to enforce gender roles or a means of self-expression?
For women in the political spotlight, these questions seem to be unrelenting.
Damned if you, damned if you dont.
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Fashion in the past meant conforming and losing oneself, she said in the 2011 HBO documentaryGloria.
Fashion in the present means being unique and finding oneself.
Here she is the biggest feminist in the world, and shes wearing sexy dresses, von Furstenberg said.
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She made it okay to be attractive and to be a feminist.
She said you dont need to look like a truck driver [to be a feminist].
Simultaneously Steinem, consciously or unconsciously, has used fashion to advance her cause.
Steinem and Diane Von Furstenberg in 1988
Would she have morphed into the political and media force if not for her cultivated image?
Its a legacy that has endured for decades.
(The CFDA awarded Steinem with its Board of Directors Tribute in 2017).
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Steinems style footprint will stretch beyond the tangible items shes popularized.
Yes, even the aviators.
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Steinem at the Michael Kors Fall ‘23 runway show during New York Fashion Week
Steinem at the the 2017 CFDA Fashion Awards
