Gloria Steinem, pioneering feminist and journalist who went undercover as Playboy Bunny, dies at 92

The author of nine books, Gloria Steinem campaigned against domestic violence, female genital mutilation, the pornography industry and the Vietnam and Gulf wars. — AFP file pic

By Malay Mail

First Published: Thursday, 03 Sep 2026 7:03 PM MYT

LONDON, Sept 3 — American feminist, journalist and activist Gloria Steinem, whose work helped bring the fight for women’s rights into the mainstream, has died aged 92, according to The Guardian.

Steinem “passed away peacefully at her home in New York City, surrounded by some of the many who loved her”, a statement shared on her Instagram page said.

“Gloria’s near-century on earth were years well-lived, and she continued working for equality until the very end,” the statement said.

“Gloria’s greatest gift was her ability to listen to others, to make others feel seen and heard. Her words, actions, and example gave people permission to be their truest selves.”

Steinem, a journalist, author and campaigner, became one of the most prominent figures in the feminist movement through her writing, public speaking and activism.

The author of nine books, she campaigned against domestic violence, female genital mutilation, the pornography industry and the Vietnam and Gulf wars.

She also supported causes including Black Lives Matter, the reunification of Korea, reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights and the Time’s Up movement.

Born in Ohio in 1934, Steinem spent part of her childhood living in a trailer. Her mother’s mental illness affected the family, and after her parents separated when she was 10, Steinem lived with her mother in Toledo and began observing the hostility faced by women who worked.

After graduating from a women’s liberal arts college in 1956, she travelled to India, where she spent two years working as a legal clerk at the country’s Supreme Court.

According to the report, on returning to the United States, Steinem worked as director of the Independent Research Service, a CIA-funded operation that recruited American students to disrupt Soviet-backed World Youth Festivals in Vienna and Helsinki. She later acknowledged that she knew who was funding the operation.

Her journalism career gained prominence in 1962 when she wrote about contraception for Esquire magazine.

The following year, she worked undercover for 11 days as a Playboy Bunny, producing an exposé on the treatment of women working at the Playboy Club.

In 1968, Steinem joined New York magazine, where she wrote about an abortion “speakout” in Greenwich Village.

Steinem co-founded Ms magazine in 1971 with Dorothy Pitman Hughes and used her platform to address gender, race and economic inequality.

She was also arrested in 1984 while protesting against apartheid outside the South African embassy in Washington, DC.

A prominent critic of Donald Trump, Steinem co-chaired and spoke at the Women’s March on Washington in January 2017, held the day after his inauguration.