Soon after I saw the NYT alert about Gloria Steinem’s passing, I thought of the Duchess of Sussex. Meghan met Gloria Steinem for the first time in 2020, soon after the Sussexit, and during the pandemic. Steinem got in touch with her, and they ended up meeting up in California. In the years since that meeting, they stayed in touch, became real friends and went out to lunch a few times. Well, Meghan posted a lovely message on her Instagram about her friend and mentor’s passing.
Celebrating the life and legacy of my friend and mentor, Gloria Steinem, and also grateful to know that in these last few weeks and days she knew exactly how loved and admired she was.
You all know her many accolades and the way in which she helped shape the world for women and all people – “we are linked, not ranked” she would tell me, and the bracelet she gave me said exactly that. I still wear it with pride.
Publicly, we did interviews together, called young voters to encourage them to have their voices heard, attended award ceremonies, and brainstormed how to help this beautiful yet complicated world to become more equitable.
But privately, she was even better than you would imagine- spending Thanksgiving with our family, introducing me to one of my best friends (forever the champion of female friendship), loving our children with her whole heart, counseling me during hard times, and giving extraordinary advice and perspective with a cup of tea and an unrivaled cheekiness and wit.
But my very favorite story about GLO is when she was out one day in NY, and a woman approached her in absolute awe and said she wanted to introduce her young daughter to her (though she was embarrassed to say the young girl may not know who she was).
Gloria replied: “It doesn’t matter if she knows who I am. What matters is that she knows who SHE is.”
Rest in peace, and rest in pride. Look at what you’ve done for all of us. Thank you
Gloria Steinem spent Thanksgiving with the Sussexes?? Steinem introduced Meghan to one of her BFFs? Nice. Meghan is such a girl’s girl, and of course she would become close friends with Gloria Steinem and have her over for Thanksgiving. Like, of course that happened. Anyway, sending good thoughts out to all of Gloria Steinem’s friends and family.
Photos courtesy of Meghan’s Instagram.
Gloria Steinem was an absolute hero, and Meghan’s tribute to her is just beautiful.
This just makes me sad all over again about what Meghan left behind in California — friendships like this one.
I understand your viewpoint but true friendships don’t rely on geography or proximity or even how often you see each other IRL.
This. Especially with all the technology we have today. I was an exchange student to Spain in the 90s and my host family and I kept in close contact through letters, then emails, and once we were able to video it was even better! 30 years later I still talk to my host sister and her family at least once a week on video along with in person visits both ways (not as much as we would want but enough). I was able to attend her daughter’s wedding dress fitting virtually and it was awesome.
That’s lovely Graphinya!
Hypocrisy, you said it!
I’m sad about it every day that she created such a nice life in Cali and she left it behind.
A beautiful tribute. 💔 Their friendship (and the encounter on the street she quotes) really speaks to how important it is to pass these values down through the generations — more important than ever at this time, as so much of what Gloria fought for is under relentless attack. Anyway, I’m reeling from the double whammy of losing both Dolly and Gloria in a week. Rest in peace, ladies.
A very lovely tribute. GS had so many friends who were her family. It’s good to know she was loved and loved in return. May her memory be a blessing.
A lovely message and tribute.
Ironic to give that bracelet to a duchess??
Not at all ironic, dear @meredith. Onnacounta the fact that the duchess herself said, for the benefit of those who crave understanding and need clarity:
“All the grandeur surrounding this stuff is an attachment I don’t personally have.
“I’ve been a waitress, an actress, a princess, a duchess……and I’ve always just been Meghan, right? I’ve been clear on who I am, independent of all that stuff. And the most important title I will ever have is Mom.”
I don’t understand this comment? Because Meghan is a duchess she should not receive personal gifts from friends, including a bracelet? We’re not talking crown jewels here, a personal bracelet with a feminist motto (that I personally love) given to a duchess from an iconic friend isn’t “ironic.”
I think it’s especially more thoughtful and poignant a message on the bracelet given all that Meghan has been through because of the concept of rank in that family. I have a lot of issues with GS’s feminism and her CIA links and her refusal to understand intersectionality but I’m not going to say that giving that bracelet to Meghan as a duchess was a bad or “ironic” choice.
Ikr? I love that message.
Pretty sure she gave a bracelet to her friend. Lovely tribute.
Aww, she used a Dolly Parton song as part of the tribute too😭. RIP, Gloria, a real one and an inspiration.
The wrong people keep passing away imo…💔🙏🏼💫
Nice words!!!