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← Signal: State & Power

Founding Editor Recalls Gloria Steinem's Role in Launching Ms. Magazine

Confirmed1 source · Sep 4, 2026

Letty Cottin Pogrebin describes meeting Steinem in 1971 and their collaboration to create a mainstream feminist publication that sold out despite distributors' initial skepticism.

Founding Editor Recalls Gloria Steinem's Role in Launching Ms. Magazine
Image via The Guardian

What happened

Letty Cottin Pogrebin, a young feminist author, met Gloria Steinem at a 1971 women's conference in Washington DC that launched the National Women's Political Caucus. Steinem recruited Pogrebin to help create Ms. magazine, which debuted as an insert to New York magazine in December 1971 with cover art of the Hindu goddess Kali, followed by a full preview edition in early 1972 featuring Wonder Woman for President. The magazine, which focused on mainstream feminist topics including abortion, workplace discrimination, and inequality in credit and insurance rather than traditional women's magazine fare, sold out within days despite distributors initially needing to be convinced it qualified as news. Pogrebin served as founding editor and remained close to Steinem for over 50 years until Steinem's death at 92. In a recent interview following Steinem's death, Pogrebin described her as 'the least egomaniacal person' she knew, noting Steinem's gentle, eloquent approach made feminism 'sexy, unthreatening' compared to other movement leaders.

Context

Ms. magazine's launch represented an attempt to embed feminist discourse into mainstream media during the early 1970s women's movement. The magazine's commercial success despite initial resistance from distributors suggests a market existed for feminist content aimed at women. Pogrebin's recollection emphasizes that the movement required diverse leadership styles—contrasting Steinem's quiet, organizing approach with other figures' more confrontational methods—and that their long personal and professional relationship endured as the movement and both women evolved over decades. Steinem's continued focus on young women's activism rather than recent setbacks to women's equality illustrates her sustained commitment to the movement through her final years.