Gloria Steinem, Billie Jean King and Me

Yesterday I watched Oprah. Gloria Steinem, Billie Jean and Maria Shriver were guests. Gloria and Billie are responsible for who I am today. I remember watching the Billie Jean and Bobbie Riggs tennis match on TV as a pre-teen. Gloria somehow came into my field of influence around the same time.

We lived in Brooklyn until I was six. I had a friend Pierre who gave me a penny to enter a carnival set up by neighbors. It was just homemade games and after we went in it was not worth the penny. So we left and Pierre, having to pee, went on a tree. I thought it wasn't fair that girls couldn't do that. Call it early penis envy. I also went to a school that separated girls from boys. I thought that wasn't fair either. I don't know why I felt this way - but I did. It was 1969.

We moved to the burbs. My new Hebrew Day School had boys and girls in the same class. And then there was the Billie Jean King- Bobbie Riggs tennis game. Billie Jean won and I felt great. It was then I decided I wanted to be better than the boys in sports. I was upset that little league didn't include girls and they let me play. I wasn't as good as all the boys at school or camp, but I could hold me own and was picked for a team before many of the boys. I did, however, beat them all at swimming.

I learned about Gloria from my dad. Ms. Magazine was starting and his cosmetics company "Monica Simone Cosmetics" had a logo using the initials "MS". They wanted permission to name the magazine Ms. (My early experience with trademark law). My dad said OK. His rational is that it could only help his company. I guess my dad was a feminist without even knowing it.

I was not a follower of Gloria. I did go to Washington, DC to change the world and work on the extension of the Equal Rights Amendment and in Geraldine Ferraro's office when she was a member of Congress.
I didn't hang on to every word of Gloria's. I sort of remember hearing the she got married. She was always a subtle breeze for me. Without realizing it I was tuned in to her. It was around that time I was thinking it may be time for me to consider getting serious about finding a partner. I even lightened my hair. I meet Paulo in 2001. He was the first guy I ever was serious with that didn't care if we got married or not. You should always marry the person you don't have to marry.

So here's to you Gloria and Billie Jean. As for Maria - well your girls are at an all girls school. It's sort of against everything I believe in. And I'm sure it's a great school. However your comment about being the leader you want to see - resonates with me. Our goal now is to make women around the world equal. But how can I get Cutie to see there's better things in life than Princesses.