Betty Friedan dies

Betty Friedan passed away today. She was 85.

I was born after she wrote The Feminine Mystique. I had always wondered what all of the fuss was about--none of it seemed that reveloutionary to me. It seemed like common sense for middle-class women. But it wasn't--Friedan was ostrasized by her friends and neighbors after the book came out. She was a founder of the National Organization for Women, the National Women's Political Caucus, and NARAL.

Although she would not have liked me or my politics, I have to give her props for her part in kickstarting the movement.