Gloria Steinem is an iconic journalist, activist, and feminist, who co-founded the magazine Ms. in 1972. So, you can imagine my delight when I stumbled upon photos of Gloria on a skateboard from 1965!
The posed photos were taken by Yale Joel for her article on Pop Culture called “The Ins and Outs of Pop Culture,” for Life magazine, which was published on August 20, 1965. Apparently, she described skateboarding as “dangerous enough for James Bond” and that’s why she chose to wear a 007 sweater.
The article went on to describe how society was being upheaved because “When money ceased to be a prerequisite for mainstream cool, it was possible for cool to come up from the bottom instead. ‘The proliferation of money and the collapse of the old caste system automatically downgraded those who had little but cash and ancestors to offer,’ as Steinem put it” (Rothman & Ronk).
According to a recent review of the article, Steinem was suggesting that “Better sources of cool included African-American culture, camp culture, teenage culture and British culture,” which explains the reference to skateboarding! A grassroots cool subculture established by youth from all walks of life, out on the streets, with just a 2×4 piece of wood and a set of roller skate wheels!
References:
- Rothman, Lily and Liz Ronk. “When a young Gloria Steinem played the pop-culture pundit.” Life.com, March 1, 2017.
- Steinem, Gloria. “The Ins and Outs of Pop Culture,” Life (August 20, 1965).
Womxn Skateboard History 