On Phyllis Schlafly, Gloria Steinem, and 鈥楳rs. America'
I鈥檓 glad my 20-something daughter recommended the Hulu mini-series 鈥淢rs. America,鈥� a dramatic retelling of the 1970s battle to pass the Equal Rights Amendment. It pits Phyllis Schlafly, the conservative activist from Alton, Ill., against the leaders of second-wave feminism, such as Gloria Steinem and Betty Friedan.
With Cate Blanchett as Mrs. Schlafly 鈥� and she was always 鈥淢rs.鈥� 鈥� and Rose Byrne as Ms. Steinem, what鈥檚 not to love? Plenty, it turns out. I immediately noticed the problem with Ms. Byrne鈥檚 portrayal of Ms. Steinem. She comes across as self-absorbed and uncharismatic, in other words, nothing like the real Ms. Steinem.
Letty Cottin Pogrebin, like Ms. Steinem a founding editor of Ms. magazine, also took issue with her friend鈥檚 depiction. In a , she writes that the 鈥渘asal-voiced, lock-jawed version of Gloria鈥� barely resembles the woman she鈥檚 known five decades. More important, she adds, 鈥渋t galls me when 鈥楳rs. America鈥� keeps underscoring the friction among feminists, rather than grappling with the complexity of our challenges.鈥� The series turns it all into a catfight, she laments.
The late Mrs. Schlafly鈥檚 family and allies have their own critiques. Anne Schlafly Cori, chair of her mother鈥檚 Eagle Forum, that while the hair, makeup, and clothing seemed accurate, she found Ms. Blanchett made her mother appear 鈥渃old, cruel, and calculating.鈥澛犅�
鈥淧hyllis Schlafly was warm and gracious and her beliefs were sincere,鈥� Ms. Cori says.
Ralph Reed, a 海角大神 conservative leader who knew Mrs. Schlafly for 25 years, tells the Monitor that the series missed 鈥渉ow incredibly tough she was.鈥�
鈥淪he was very, very wily, one of the smartest and toughest customers I鈥檝e ever met,鈥� Mr. Reed says. 鈥淭ougher than just about any man I鈥檝e ever met.鈥�
I pushed back. Mrs. Schlafly came across as plenty tough, I said. After all, she defeated the ERA.
For me, it was also fun to see Tracey Ullman portray Ms. Friedan, who lived in Washington in her later years. I once gave her a ride to her apartment, and remember her as elderly but still feisty.
But most of all, I鈥檓 heartened that my daughter watched the series, and got a glimpse into the social conflicts of the 1970s. Now I鈥檒l make sure she reads up on how it all really went down.
Let us know what you鈥檙e thinking at csmpolitics@csmonitor.com.
