Gloria Steinem: An icon of American feminism

Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Gloria Steinem pictured in 1990 in her New York City apartmentGloria Steinem was a powerful icon of America's feminist movement, and her career spanned a myriad of roles that changed the lives of generations of women.With her iconic aviator sunglasses and long, blonde streaked hair - which she considered rebellious in the 1970s - Steinem was an internationally recognised activist in the fight for women's equality.She spoke out for the legalisation of abortion, same-sex marriage, and equal rights and pay for women, and protested against the death penalty and female genital mutilation.Her activism was not without a backlash - from both men and women - and harassment that could be as vulgar as it was intimidating.Born on 25 March 1934 in Toledo, Ohio, Gloria Steinem did not have an easy childhood.Her father Leo Steinem was a travelling salesman and, together with her mother Ruth and older sister Susanne, they lived in a caravan, crisscrossing the country.Leo abandoned the family and moved to California when Steinem was 10 years old, leaving her to care for Ruth who had long suffered with mental illness and had terrifying hallucinations. As a re...