‘She pushed us all forward’Dua Lipa, musicianGloria was someone who pushed boundaries to their furthest extent. She fought for women all over the world, whether she knew them or not. Women have the rights we do today because of feminist icons like Gloria. She pushed us all forward and encouraged us to look beyond our own experience. It’s amazing to see how her work and legacy continue to be embraced by each new generation of feminists.‘Completely unapologetic’Sandra Bernhard, actor and comedianIn coming of age, Gloria Steinem was my northern star: she gave me license to have unbridled confidence and audacity, first as a girl in high school and then as a fledgling performer. I never had to play down who I was: I didn’t have to. Gloria paved the way for me to put it all on the line – the first generation of women who could be funny and completely unapologetic. I owe so much to her.‘One of my models for standing your ground’Margaret Atwood, authorMargaret Atwood photographed for the Guardian in 2025. Photograph: Christopher Wahl/The GuardianI knew Gloria through her Ms magazine days – indeed, it was at a Ms party that I met Dolly Parton, another terrific American star. Gloria was the epitome of second-wave feminism, and gave it a public face that nullified the bra-burning stereotypes that had been pasted on to it. Gloria was one of my models for standing your ground – gracefully if possible, but if not, not. She withstood a great many buckets of pig slop thrown her way. Reading the list of her accomplishments and of the movements in which she was active, I’m amazed that any human being could do so much. Wonder Woman was one of her heroes, and that’s what she was: a Wonder Woman.‘Impossible to imagine my life without her’Tavi Gevinson, author and actorI am one of countless people who can say that it’s impossible to imagine my life without the activism, vision, and courage of Gloria Steinem. There would have been no Rookie without Ms magazine and its lineage. I am grateful beyond words for her example and encouragement.‘She was a badass’Ronan Farrow, author and journalistGloria taught a generation how to live with a sense of purpose and justice. She found the good fights and fought them, even in unexpected corners; I discovered only after knowing her for years that she’d once intervened in a case involving my family, advocating for a child-welfare investigator who lost his job after finding a controversial allegation of abuse to be credible. But more than her great fights, Gloria was an example of how to be the best we can be. She was a riot. She was cool. She was sexy. She was a badass. She made no pretense of perfection, and reckoned with mistakes openly. Like a lot of people, I hoped to grow up to be Gloria. I still do.‘A fresh vision’Joan Baez, musicianYou came along