Gloria Steinem is so completely hot. I mean, she was always physically attractive, but now that she's older she's attained that glow that women over the age of 50 or so seem to acquire of which I, as a relative toddler, am so completely jealous.
I got to see her speak tonight at my alma mater, got to talk to her, take a picture with her and all that good stuff. She's just so - freaking - brilliant.
Ironically, if the people who throw Steinem's name around as a pejorative - as if she's the ultimate stereotypical man-hating, fuzzy-armpitted "feminazi" - ever listened to her speak, I think they'd be surprised. For instance, tonight she spoke movingly of the relationships between feminism - a word she barely used - and other movements for equality, placing everything in historical context. She pointed out how the scary stats about violence against women actually "exonerate" (her word) the vast majority of men - one in three women will be a victim of sexual assault in her lifetime, but the average rapist rapes 14 different women, meaning that a very small number of men are violent predators, and the rest are decent, loving men. Most of all, she outlined again and again how activism for women has benefitted all under-privileged groups, including working class men. She spoke of how veterans of war with what they called "shell shock" or "battle fatigue" (um, PTSD) were once belittled as the female victims of violence still are. She refused to denigrate women who dress in what some would call a "slutty" way, saying that you can't always infer a person's intent from their appearance - you might see someone hungry for male approval, when the woman is actually body-positive and could give a rat's ass what the dreaded male gaze thinks of her.
I asked her how to deal with the standard shut-down that feminists are scary, serious, no fun and hate men (um, have you MET me???). I was especially interested in hearing the perspective of someone who's simultaneously been painted as the bogeyman by anti-feminists and as too tarty with her mini-skirts by some feminists. Her answer: tell the truth. Point out to the person calling you names how, say, tax credits for caregiving would benefit them. And as always, be yourself.
For Steinem - and I think I understand this so much more having seen her in person, rather than just reading her - it's about agency. Whether a woman wears a burqa or a minidress, works in Hooters or works in her home, is not the issue. What matters is that the individual is doing so of her own accord, after deciding what's best for her and her family. Arbitrarily labelling conduct right or wrong doesn't get us anywhere.
I've always been fascinated with Steinem for her intellect, even when I haven't always agreed with her (for instance, what I consider her overly subjective delineation of pornography and erotica). But I admire the hell out her for proving with her very existence that feminists - all people - can be serious, life-loving, sex-positive beings, and all at the same time.
She's firmly on my People I Want to Have a Beer With list. I think it would take a couple for me to work up the courage to ask her what she thought of "American Psycho," a movie with which I have a love-hate relationship...and which was the breakout film for her step-son, Christian Bale. (Seriously, you can't tell me that never came up at Thanksgiving dinner...) That was really my only complaint about tonight. She totally needs to bring him along next time. In the Batsuit, preferably. ;)
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