Gloria Steinem Says The Kardashians Don't Empower Women

Feminist icon and founder of Ms. Magazine, Gloria Steinem isn't too happy with television these days.

Recently she called for the boycott of NBC's upcoming series "The Playboy Club," and now she's opening up about what she thinks of the the reigning queens of reality TV, the Kardashians sisters.

At a luncheon in honor of her new HBO documentary "Gloria: In Her Own Words," Steinem told the New York Daily News that she didn't think the Kardashians "empower" other women.

"They're not empowering other women, but there's no point in blaming the people who take advantage of the system without changing the system. Imagine if this were a family of boys," Steinem told the paper. "If men were rewarded for the same things, they would be doing it too."

The Kardashian family shot to fame through their multiple reality shows branching off of "Keeping Up With The Kardashians," but it was 30-year-old Kim's sex tape with singer Ray J that leaked online that made her name known outside of Hollywood social circles.

In 2010 Kim spoke to Allure magazine about the sex tape saying it was, "Not my most proud moment, it was humiliating. But now let's move on. Not that I don't think it's no one's business, but I think I've done a good job with replacing negative things with positive things."

Empowering or not, the Kardashians certainly aren't shy. Check out some of the reasons they've become so famous:

1 of 13

1 of 14

First Slide

Previous Slide

@

Brandy Reveals She Had An Eating Disorder As A Teen (VIDEO)

Beastie Boy Dead: Celebrities React On Twitter

Levon Helm Dead: Memorial Planned In Woodstock

Ke$ha Tweets Photo Of Herself Peeing In The Street (PHOTO)

Kim Kardashian Without Makeup: Kris Jenner Tweets Creepy Photo Of Kim Sleeping (PHOTOS)

Celebrity Oversharers: Kim Kardashian, Courtney Stodden, Alicia Silverstone Give TMI

comments(340)

Total comments: 340 | Post a Comment

1 of 14

This Pic

Rank #2  |  Average: 4

Keep It Private Thanks For Sharing!

• 
  1
• 
  2
• 
  3
• 
  4
• 
  5
• 
  6
• 
  7
• 
  8
• 
  9
• 
  10

Top 5 Kardashian Bikini Pics

loading...

Top 5 Kardashian Bikini Pics

UserName

 | Become a fan

Picked These as the Top 5 Slides in the Slideshow

loading...

Top User Slides

← Prev|Next →

 | Become a fan

Picked These as the Top 5 Slides in the Slideshow

loading...

Users who voted on this slide

← Prev|Next →

loading...

Comments

[Hazel Meade Stone]

04:55 PM on 09/01/2011

What empowers a woman? Is it gaining another woman's confidence so you obtain her power of attorney? Then you have her literally dragged out of her apartment by two policemen without any of her personal items including her glasses? Are you happy you had her involuntarily committed to a nursing home when her only crime was taking classes for a Master's Degree in music? Her personal belongings were dumped on the street! You weren't even there to help her. I hope the same thing happens to you...

[Mae Blue]

01:32 AM on 08/17/2011

Gloria S does not empower women, with that nasty mug of hers---she would not even let Camille Paglia (Lesbian, Libertarian, Trouble Maker, Who Thinks Men Are Cool)) express herself at some meeting they were at years ago. She either told her to shut up or ran out I forget --- She does not do women any favors...

[Abigailia]

07:54 PM on 08/16/2011

There are plenty of shows that don't empower HUMANS!

Jersey Shore... Real Housewives of ...

[Dan Same]

11:55 AM on 08/16/2011

I don't particularly like the Kardashians- I mean, I still don't know why they're famous- however since when were they meant to be empowering?

[jbzee]

12:44 PM on 08/16/2011

Everyone seems to misunderstand the context in which this "interview" was given. Gloria was at a luncheon honoring the HBO documentary on her life. Media was there (hoping, no doubt, to get a controversy somehow.) The knuckle-dragging New York Daily News asked her what she thought of today's TV shows like the Ks, Playboy Club, PanAM. and did these shows empower women. Well, duh, no they don't. When asked what to do about it, GS said boycott them, don't watch. Stupid questions to begin with, but typical of the tabloids.

[Dan Same]

06:47 AM on 08/17/2011

Wow, that explains a lot. :D That's incredible. God, the tabloids are dumb.

[brawnydoc]

08:04 PM on 08/15/2011

Kim Kardashian: Big boobs and a sex tape. That's it.

[juanillegal]

07:19 PM on 08/15/2011

Just like hookers & child porn websites are empowering. Grow up and smell the...

[Dan Same]

11:49 AM on 08/16/2011

How can you compare child porn with hookers? There is no similarity between the two whatsoever.

[juanillegal]

07:17 PM on 08/15/2011

Yeah, but they empower big butts!!!

[mcc1cam]

06:53 PM on 08/15/2011

The Kardashians made 65 million dollars this year (and it's only August), I would love to be empowered to that tune!

[Readcomment]

12:18 AM on 08/16/2011

Really? Well, if all you're concerned about is how much money you can make, why not sell drugs or hook or strip etc.? The Kardashian women appeal to the lowest common denominator to make their money. They don't appear to be very intelligent but they do have big boobs--which sells.
Sad commentary on our society!

[mcc1cam]

11:04 AM on 08/16/2011

The fact of the matter is, money IS power, always has been and always will be! I make a very good living as a writer, but if I could make 65 million dollars in 6 months, (and the "Ks" DO NOT sell drugs, etc.,) I would and so would most people. Rape, murder, the catholic church, those are a 'sad commentary on our society,' not boobs!

[kevvone]

06:50 PM on 08/15/2011

Who are the Kardashians? Sorry don't watch t.v. or read tabloids so luckily I'm out of the loop.

[pdw61]

06:44 PM on 08/15/2011

I don't need Gloria Steinem to tell me what a waste the Kardashian's are, as with Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan!!!...The world already knows this!!!... Whatever happened to having class???

[Jennifer1969]

06:34 PM on 08/15/2011

you know i wish someone would acutally have the "balls" to publish a list of the things that need to "GO AWAY"... i vote the Kardshians at the top 5

[Kim Kelley]

03:50 PM on 08/16/2011

Unfortunately, one person's opinion, or even 100 people's opinion doesn't matter. The Kardasians wouldn't be ever present if a great many people weren't buying their products and counting the days until their next season begins. It is a sad statement on our society that people like this have become so successful. I'm wondering if in the late 70s our species had advanced as far as possible and since then we've been moving backward in terms of evolution.

[Jennifer1969]

05:55 PM on 08/16/2011

oh i agree.. it is a sad thing. i def think we move backwards due to things like this..

[cw1949]

12:03 AM on 08/19/2011

Kim Kelley you hit the nail on the head. Anyone remember the film "Network" released in the mid-70's,? A screenplay written by Paddy Cheyevsky which is probably the most insightful and prophetic ever written. Since this movie came out, people like this litter of remoras living off the pathway paved for them by their enabling relatives (one of whom defended O.J.), (along with their sex tapes and brain dead dialogues) would never have begun to have the oppportunities for wealth that they currently exploit. These mindless fembots have, armed with their complete lack of talent or class have contributed nothing positive, but instead while riding the coattails of their infamous parents, have managed to reverse the process of evolution. Has she ever considered that maybe a $20 million wedding isn't necessary, that a spectacular wedding (since that's what she apparently needs) could be obtained with $5 million, and the rest spent for some humanitarian cause? Once she has children, maybe she'll become a tad more empathetic towards the kids throughout the world who are struggling for a few bites of food and towards their heartbroken mothers. Of course, their relatives are not the only enablers of their parasitic lifestyle. Those who purchase their merchandise and sit glued glassy-eyed to their shows are only fulfilling the warnings which were revealed in the script of "Network" - that we are going to be increasingly controlled by tabloid media by indulging in these brainless shows and their corporate backers.

[mitchmc]

06:32 PM on 08/15/2011

Gloria, for once I agree with you. What are these Kardashians? They don't act, they don't sing, .... What is their purpose in life?

[selfenchanted]

07:52 PM on 08/15/2011

They're supposed to give people hope. Or something.

[countrysusan]

06:17 PM on 08/15/2011

ma barker and her gang comes to mind...some women use their own children, to try to live their lives through them...the mother of this clan has prostituted the wares of her family to suit her desires for noteability. she is shameful...she has demasculated bruce, making him look like a fool.

[jaymeegurl]

07:32 PM on 08/15/2011

100% correct

[barbraajohnson]

08:23 AM on 08/17/2011

You are absolutely right. I think the worst "crime" of the Kardashian family is that everything about them is in poor taste. They dress like porn stars, they act like porn stars, in short they quack like porn stars. Anything for money...they have the morals of porn stars. Even the decor in the photo above of whatever room one of them is pictured in is tacky, tacky, tacky. I stumbled onto their reality show once a few months ago...that was enough for me. I sat transfixed, wondering how in the world anyone could waste their time watching such garbage.

[walkingwolf]

06:10 PM on 08/15/2011

one little piggy- two little piggy- three little piggy- four...oh its the Kardashians..and they're all little ***** makin my head hurt...Go away

[longeye67]

05:44 PM on 08/15/2011

Who are the Kardashians, where do they come from, have any of them ever done anything significant. What is the deal? Why are they newsworthy? Why in the heck would a guy in his right mind ever want to marry one? Just some basic questions!

[idontcare761]

06:02 PM on 08/15/2011

I know way more than I want to or should..sigh.. Kim started out as Paris Hilton's stylest/bff. Once she started getting more publicity than Paris did , Paris fired her as her stylest and as her bff , moving on to a new bff. Meantime , Kim and her bf at the time made a sex tape , consensual , who cares. The tape was "leaked" , mhmm and suddenly Kim's famous. So..does that mean Kim started as a porn star? Just wondering too.