Gloria Steinem, 92, Thinks We've Made (Some) Progress Against Ageism

02.04.2026, 16:20 allure.com

Gloria Steinem has spent more than half a century as one of the most prominent feminist voices in America. A writer, activist, and organizer, she co-founded Ms. magazine in the early '70s and spent decades on the road speaking, marching, and building a movement. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in 2013. Now, at 92 years old, she is still writing and, as she will tell you, still learning. And she still has plenty to say—except, perhaps, about beauty.

The irony is not lost. Steinem’s appearance—striking and stylish, with center-parted, highlighted hair—has always been part of her story, even if she never made it the point. “I was 'the pretty one,'” Steinem previously told The New York Times of her early days as an activist. So her lifelong insistence that beauty doesn’t matter is worth examining.

Beauty—and the expectations that come with it—is the topic of the talking circle about 25 guests have gathered for today sponsored by Maison, a private membership network for women entrepreneurs. It’s one of many subjects Steinem has covered at the meetings she regularly holds at the Upper East Side brownstone she’s lived in since the '60s. (The week before, Steinem hosted a group of clinicians and reproductive justice leaders to discuss abortion care.)

Steinem holds court at a talking circle held at her Upper East Side home.

“Each person is a world,” she says, “and we get to learn from each other.” In her living room, where the event is being held, crystals from Steinem’s late sister are sprinkled about, catching the light as it pours through the windows and bounces off the yellow walls. Photos and art from decades of travel and activism fill the space. Steinem is far from done collecting memories: She tells me that she’s read about a woman in the Himalayas who claims to be 130 years old. “That’s a good goal,” she says, without a trace of irony. “I’ll try.”

This is classic, beautifully unbothered Steinem. She has spent more than half a century focused on what women can do, not how they look, so when I sat down with her before guests arrived and reminded her we’d be discussing beauty, she laughed—and then was characteristically direct. Here, her thoughts—and deliberate silences—on aging, plastic surgery, and beauty standards.

"If I could sit down with a room of 10-year-old girls, I would want them to know that beauty is not important—and that they could be president.

Listen, I’ve never worn lipstick. In fact, I look awful in lipstick. I’ve always had long hair. Why? I don’t entirely know. If I wear makeup at all, it’s a little eye makeup. I lived in India for two years, and women there not only have great eyes but wear makeup beautifully. I think I just acquired a liking for it. That’s the extent of my beauty routine, and I’ve never given it much more thought than that.

I think we should all be encouraged to look like our unique selves. There’s no single beauty ideal: There are many different looks and races around the world, and looking like yourself should be possible for everybody. The pressure to look like someone else—that’s not your problem. It’s the problem of the people who are putting that out there. Why do they place so much value on exterior qualities that would never apply to men?

With that in mind, plastic surgery is a gift for accidents or birth defects; situations where someone isn’t being seen as themselves. But otherwise, I can’t imagine a reason why anyone in their right mind would have surgery that wasn’t necessary. And I don’t think putting foreign objects inside of bodies is good for us. If we are each unique, wanting to look unique makes more sense than wanting to look like somebody from a beauty magazine.

Early in my career, I was hiding behind big glasses and hair, only showing up when I spoke. I always tried to speak alongside a woman from a different ethnicity or race, so that at least together, we looked a little more like the country. It was always frustrating to have people comment on how I looked instead of what I said. And sometimes you can shame people out of it by just naming it: How are you reporting on me in a way you wouldn’t if I were a man? That tends to land.

The more we’re valued for our accomplishments and not for our looks, the better. We’ll know we’ve made real progress when a woman is running for political office and her appearance is no longer a source of comment any more than it would be for a man. Although men are subject to criticism, too. They have to worry about going bald, about how they’ll look, measuring up to some standard. That’s worth remembering.

Feminists always objected to being judged by our looks. That was the tie between beauty and feminism. The goal was to diminish beauty as a standard. I’m not sure we’ve fully gotten there, but I do think women are allowed to be older now than they used to be and still be considered relevant. That’s something. We’ve been playing a more active role, less defined by reproduction or appearance and more by the many different things women actually do.

But I feel lucky. I have a house I like to live in, friends coming for meetings, a book I’m trying to finish. Age is good. It beats the alternative, and it means you’ve been in good health. You know more because you’ve experienced more.

I’ve never said to myself ‘I feel ugly’ or 'I feel beautiful.' You look in the mirror and you want to look like yourself. That’s enough."