She was 85 and a small woman..had a very big mouth however as I recall. She came into prominence during the hectic 60's and 70's..MY time too..I loved her spirit and her dedication..I subscribed to the NOW magazine for years and took all their ideals to heart. Her first book "The Feminine Mystique" set it all ablaze..woman who were tired of just being the chief cook and bottle washer..who wanted something more and fulfilling in their lives...BETTY started it..blame her lol.
She would go on to become quite the lecturer and writer..the woman's movement would clash with her in her later years, stating she concentrated on white middle-class females to the detriment of lesbians and women of color..but ladies..and I use that term loosely....Ms. Friedan put on paper what intellgent woman of that time were thinking..fuck the housework, I want to do something that matters to me..to the world at large and I want to make a difference! Toss your vacuum's aside ladies and come out and protest or do whatever the hell makes YOU happy and complete. She was the start of it all..and I salute her. She took a helluvalot of shit for that first book..it couldn't of been an easy road for the little jewish woman from Smith College. She started the National Organization for Women, NARAL, and the National Woman's Political Caucus. She was a central figure in the Pro-Choice movement.
She was small in stature but big in my heart..and I thank her for that first book which I read from cover to cover in one sitting as I recall.
TruthOut has a NY Times writeup about her..the link is here.
So..in closing, what I am trying to say is..Young women of today take for granted that they can do what they want, when they want to, they can be Heads of State or Captains of Industy..it wasn't that way until Betty opened up her yap and put pen to paper. Thank her for that..YOU owe her that much.
