The Night I Insulted Jane Fonda, Part Three
Read Part One here.
Read Part Two here.
When I read This Fish the other day where Heather wrote that Gloria Steinem was "really smoking hot" at age 72, I thought she meant it in a "my grandma is so cute" kind of way.
No.
Gloria Steinem is REALLY. SMOKING. HOT.
She was wearing black tuxedo pants and a netted top, and she truly epitomized cool. No joke, I have a serious girl crush, not to mention a new hero.
She was talking to two women, and all I could overhear was one of them telling Gloria Steinem that she had changed the world. Can you imagine someone saying that to you? I certainly can't! But it just set the stage for who I was about to talk to, albeit briefly.
The lights flashed to signal everyone that the press hour was over, and the ladies walked away... just as a man walked up to ask her for her autograph. As soon as her Sharpie left the paper, I cut in.
I introduced myself and told her that recently I wrote a column on iVillage about the way technology is invading our relationships; that email and text messaging are making women braver, and that I wasn't sure that was a good thing. I asked her what she thought about women making the first move.
She said (and I didn't need a tape recorder to remember this quote):
"I think women should do whatever the f%#$ they want. Make the first move. Make the last move. Make a move to someone else. I don't care -- as long as it's what they authentically feel."
Gloria f%#$ing Steinem.
That's pretty awesome.
well, go Gloria!
I remember reading The Feminine Mystique - and realizing that while everyone had said that she was saying women should be working, that what it was really saying was just that - women should do what they feel, whether it's working or staying home, marriage or not, kids or not - just do what you FEEL, not what society tells you to feel...
It's a little sad that women haven't really been able to get that part quite right... :(
correction - I do realize Betty Friedan wrote the Feminine Mystique and I very sadly jumbled that up...
I blame coffee... or a lack thereof.
So when Gloria @%@%ing Steinam said that...what did our fearless Josey say in reply? ;)
Well, we'd caught her on her way into the ballroom for dinner -- the press hour was over -- so I just thanked her for her time. :)
Dear Ms. Josey - how might a gal go about contacting you off-blog?
Gloria Steinam ROCKS!!! That's all I have to say about that!
Kinda reminds me of the Spice Girls and all that "gull powah". No offense to Jane, but I watched her interview when Monster-in-law came out and was impressed, but also confused. She had nothing but gushy praise for Ted...seemed fishy. If things were that great, there would never have been a D-I-V-O-R-C-E. Btw, to the rest of the world, she HAS reinvented herself. She had to, otherwise, people would still be using that very unflattering nickname some of the U.S. vets gave her. Gloria, on the other hand, is still a pistol. People often misinterpret the whole women's lib movement and some take it to extreme. The main point has always been that women should have the right to choose what they do with their lives, within reason. I admire stay-at-home moms, because that job is harder, in many ways, than an office job; it requires excellent organizational skills, decision-making, and time-management, to name a few. Hard work, to be sure. Sadly, the popular view of a housewife is negative and condescending.