{
  "id": 6773313,
  "title": "That Memorable Day In September: The Politics Of Beauty And The Women’s Liberation Movement",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/11/that-memorable-day-in-september-the-politics-of-beauty-and-the-womens",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-11T15:51:17.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Press Journal",
    "slug": "free-press-journal",
    "url": "https://www.freepressjournal.in/analysis/that-memorable-day-in-september-the-politics-of-beauty-and-the-womens-liberation-movement"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On September 7, 1968, a protest took place outside Atlantic City's Convention Hall, organized by the New York Radical Women's group. They aimed to throw items such as bras, girdles, high heels, hairspray, hair curlers, and Playboy magazines into a metal Freedom Trash Can to symbolize female oppression. However, due to fire hazards posed by the wooden boardwalk, local police denied permission to light the items on fire, preventing the burning of \"bras\" that has since become a derogatory term for feminists.\n\nThe myth of \"bra-burning feminists\" originated with a New York Post reporter, Lindsey Van Gelder, who compared this form of protest to anti-Vietnam War activists burning their draft cards. This phrase gained widespread media attention and became a potent stereotype of the women's liberation movement, shaping public perception of the Second-Wave feminist movement. Despite the fact that beauty contests still exist, women have made significant strides in gaining the right to vote, pursue education, and enter the workforce, thanks to the efforts of those who fought for their rights.\n\nThe protest was significant, not only because it challenged the beauty pageant's reduction of women to body parts, but also because it opened the gates for greater socio-political change. However, the media shifted focus away from the movement's political demands, such as equal pay, reproductive rights, daycare, and ending racist and ageist beauty standards, by emphasizing the undergarments burned during the protest.\n\nThe book \"Liberation Summer\" by historian Micki McElya provides a detailed account of the women leaders and organisations that formed during this transformative period. Gloria Steinem, a prominent feminist leader, was covered as a journalist during the event. The book highlights the struggles of women like Steinem who paved the way for others, emphasizing the importance of their sacrifices in shaping the future of American politics.",
  "summary": "Most of the time, when someone uses the word “feminism” in a derisory way, they prefix it with the term \"bra-burning\". It has ceased to matter by now that no bras were ever burnt, and the myth originated with a piece by reporter Lindsy Van Gel of the New York Post, writing about the September 7, 1968, protest outside Atlantic City's Convention Hall by the New York Radical Women’s group. They…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}