Two American women I admired have died: Gloria Steinem, 92, and Dolly Parton, 80. On the face of it the two women seem to have little in common. Dolly was a country singer and songwriter with big wigs, big boobs, lots of make-up, stick-on nails and shiny over-the-top clothes. Gloria Steinem was a journalist, social activist and one of the leaders of the feminist movement in the US during the 1960s and 70s. Worlds apart? In many ways, but they shared a fundamental similarity: they both pushed back against the discrimination of women.
Gloria Steinem campaigned for women’s rights by marching, protesting, founding a woman’s movement and trying to change discriminatory laws. Then there was Dolly. She did not get involved in politics and when asked what she thought of feminism, replied that she didn’t like labels. But a feminist she was. Let’s look at her life: first, she was a businesswoman at a time when many women were not. She founded Dollywood, a huge financial success, as were her record deals. Second, many of her songs tackled feminist issues. Take 9 to 5, the soundtrack she wrote for the 9 to 5 movie that tackled sexual discrimination at work. “Working 9 to 5, what a way to make a livin’, Barely gettin’ by, it’s all takin’ and no givin’, They just use your mind and they never give you credit, It’s enough to drive you crazy if you let it! 9 to 5, for service and devotion, you would think that I’d deserve fair promotion, but the boss won’t let me.” Dolly’s song Just Because I’m a Woman, tackled another feminist issue: double standards for men and women. She wrote it after her husband had asked her if she’d had sex with anyone before they were married and was disappointed when she said she had. The chorus is: “Yes I’ve made my mistakes, but listen and understand, my mistakes are no worse than yours just because I’m a woman.” Before she sang it at the Newport Folk Festival Dolly told the audience: “When you boys get married you want us to be just pure as snow. Well, sometimes we’re not! This is for you gals, and your boys just gotta take it, ok?” Today I was delighted to find an ABC article that also linked these two women. Turns out that Gloria Steinem, who founded the feminist magazine MS in the 1980s, had put Dolly Parton on the January 1987 cover as one of the magazine’s “Twelve Women of the Year”. Steinem wrote: “People who haven’t listened to Dolly Parton or to feminism may be surprised to learn they go together. If feminism means each of us finding our unique power, and helping other women to do the same, Dolly Parton certainly has done both.” When Dolly died, the National Organization for Women released a statement: “Dolly Parton defined feminism. She forged her own path with confidence, smarts, and was always unapologetically herself. She encouraged women to embrace who they wanted to be and to stand up for their values.”
