The Medium, The Message, And One Confused Child

"God may be in the details, but the goddess is in the questions. Once we begin to ask them, there's no turning back."  - Gloria Steinem

When I was a kid I was afraid of Gloria Steinem, and not just by the big glasses and striped hair.  Whenever I would see her on the news she seemed to be unhappy, and the crowds around her always seemed agitated.  I would listen to what the predominately male media was saying at the time, and from what little I could understand she didn’t seem the least bit likeable.  She was so different from the women I knew, but, then again, as a 7 year old my adult social circle was limited.

A few years on, I began to realize that yes, there had been some minor inequities, but seriously, did she really help overcome those small matters?  I was doubtful.  A few more years on, I learned that there were more than minor inequities, and, in a selfish moment, I simply thought that I was glad I was born when I was, and I chuckled when I thought of my 7 year old fearful self.

In my later teens, having forgotten about my childhood angst caused by Ms. Steinem, I stumbled across an interview with her.  She was warm and open, intelligent, deeply thoughtful and insightful, and she laughed easily, usually at herself.  She had a wonderful sense of humor, and often, when the interviewer tried to give her credit for her accomplishments, she deftly and graciously deflected it toward others.  Could this be the woman I had been afraid of?   I began to realize how limited my choices in life may have been had she not been so willing to use her talents for the cause of opportunities for the generations to come, to be the establishment’s punching bag, and to lift others up.

HBO is showing a new documentary, “Gloria: In Her Own Words”.  When seen through the lens of the cultural norms of the time and her own humanity, her accomplishments are all the greater and I am all the more grateful for Gloria Steinem.  After viewing the documentary (where she explained the big glasses and striped hair :-) ), I thought back to my childhood fear of her.  Was I not mature enough to understand what she was she was trying to do and how she was trying to do it?  Without question, but an equally strong element in the formation of my perception was the media’s portrayal of her.  The more things change…well, you know the rest.