Tag Archives: Mrs. America S01E09

The real Gloria Steinem recently criticized Mrs. America. She argued that the show misses the mark in its depiction of Phyllis Schlafly as the biggest obstacle to passing the ERA, rather than blaming the more pernicious and powerful forces at play. Steinem characterized this as part and parcel with a longstanding ploy to set women against one another, rather than address the real obstacles and causes behind the systemic hardships they face.

In a strange way, I think Mrs. America, or at least its finale, agrees with her. As the show’s done so often, “Reagan” contrasts the fictionalized Gloria Steinem, Bella Abzug, and the rest of the women’s liberation movement on the one hand, with Schlafly and her acolytes on the other. Both hold lavish events. Both continue the fight over the ERA. And both, most notably, vie for the ear of those gunning for the Oval Office.

But in the end, both sides collect nominal wins while ultimately losing, having only truly succeeded in thwarting one another.

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