You saw the headlines today. Gloria Steinem, dead at 92. The internet is already rushing to package her legacy into a neat, sanitized obituary. They want to give her the “beloved feminist icon” treatment, a polite nod to a woman who changed the world.
But we both know that’s a lie.
Sanitizing the dead is just a polite way of stealing their history.
Steinem wasn’t just a unifying hero in aviator glasses. She was a lightning rod. And the moment she took her last breath, the battle for what she actually meant began.
You’ve probably noticed how every time a feminist icon dies, the movement fractures a little more. It’s not just grief. It’s the sudden realization that the fragile umbrella we all stood under is gone. Second-wave feminism—the movement she came to symbolize—is either the foundation of modern liberation or the exclusionary politics of white, middle-class women, depending entirely on who you ask.
When a movement’s icon dies, the obituary becomes a battlefield for the living.
Think about it. You can practically hear the factions sharpening their knives. One side will use her memory to legitimize a strictly biological essentialist view of womanhood, pointing to the 1970s as the golden age. The other side will point to the exact same history to highlight the blind spots of second-wave feminism—the way it often sidelined working-class women, women of color, and trans women.
Watch the TV shows like Mrs. America or read the think pieces dropping tomorrow. They aren’t just memorials. They are manifestos.
We don’t inherit the legacies of our heroes; we weaponize them to fight the wars of our present.
Steinem herself spent her later years trying to bridge these gaps, constantly evolving and apologizing for the blind spots of her past. But death freezes you in amber. The moment she died, she stopped being a complex, evolving human being and became a symbol. And symbols are just tools.
So, don’t just mourn her today. Look at who is rushing to claim her. Look at how the history is being spun to center some voices and erase others. The feminist fight she symbolized is both honored and violently unresolved.
Grief is just unfinished business wearing a black veil.
FAQ
Q: Wasn't Steinem universally loved by feminists?
A: No. While a mainstream icon, she was a lightning rod. Younger and more intersectional feminists often criticized second-wave feminism's historical focus on white, middle-class issues over race and trans inclusion.
Q: Why does it matter how we write her obituary?
A: Because obituaries aren't just about the dead; they're instructions for the living. Whoever controls the narrative of her legacy dictates what 'real feminism' looks like today.
Q: Is it wrong to just celebrate her achievements today?
A: It's natural, but naive. Sanitizing her legacy erases the very conflicts she spent her later years trying to resolve. Ignoring the tension doesn't honor her; it weaponizes her.