Written By: Lily Rothman, Liz Ronk
Gloria Steinem is a feminist icon whose own history in the public eye began with her career as a journalist. She was in that role when wrote a story for the Aug. 20, 1965 issue of LIFE that was a sardonic look at Pop Culture. “A thing is either widely recognizable or it isn’t,” she wrote, “and whether it is good or bad needn’t be held against it.”
At the time, Steinem was only a few years into her career as a big-name writer, having gotten a jump start in 1963 with a story for Show magazine in which she went undercover as a Playboy bunny. (She would later say that she regretted the assignment at the time, as it led editors away from thinking of her as a serious writer.) By the time this article ran in LIFE her byline had appeared in a wide range of outlets and, as TIME noted that same summer, Steinem, then 30, was the most successful example of an experiment by Glamour magazine in which the journalists also served as models.
She did the same here, posing as figures that were placed around a board game of pop culture for a fanciful graphic that accompanied her story.
While pop culture could come and go, the most enduring aspect of this story might well be the photos that were shot for it by LIFE staff photographer Yale Joel. Most of the images did not run in the magazine, but have since gained a life of their own online. The image of Steinem holding a sign with the protest slogan “We Shall Overcome” is among the top sellers of all the classic photos in the LIFE print store.
As for Steinem herself, by 1971, she had helped launch Ms. magazine and was one of feminism’s most recognizable faces. She may have had her finger on the pop pulse when she wrote for LIFE, but her In-ness proved to be anything but passing.
From “The Ins and Outs of Pop Culture,” an article by Gloria Steinem in the Aug. 20, 1965 issue of LIFE magazine. This image did not appear in the story.
Yale Joel The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock
From “The Ins and Outs of Pop Culture” an article by Gloria Steinem. This image did not appear in the story.
Yale Joel The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Contact sheet from “The Ins and Outs of Pop Culture” an article by Gloria Steinem in the Aug. 20, 1965 issue of LIFE magazine.
Yale Joel The LIFE Picture Collection
Her pop culture suggestions included “boning up on World War II memorabilia.”
Yale Joel The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Steinem suggested for people who want to be In “…learning to look at and/or wearing Op Art (Dramamine helps).”
Yale Joel The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Of going to pro football games, Steinem wrote, “try thinking of them as improvisational theater.”
Yale Joel The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Contact sheet from “The Ins and Outs of Pop Culture.”
Yale Joel The LIFE Picture Collection
She described skateboarding as “dangerous enough for James Bond.”
Yale Joel The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock
The end goal of the course, she wrote, was “arriving at a state so In that you can relax and forget about whether you’re in or out.”
Yale Joel The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock
