It is almost impossible to pick any one feminist icon, and ironically Gloria Steinem would, if anything, be cross to be chosen! Humble to a fault, when I interviewed her in Cambridge a few years ago, she repeatedly resisted the title ‘role model’ because she said a new generation of feminists are reinventing and innovating the movement to such an extent that it will be she who learns from them instead of the other way around.

In fact, this is the the reason I admire Steinem so much. Her decades of feminist activism have been built unfailingly around the principle of cooperative organising, intersectional campaigning and sisterhood. From the very earliest days of her career, Steinem famously would often refuse a speaking invitation unless she could bring with her another activist, ensuring that she shared her platform as widely as possible. Her memoir, My Life on the Road, reveals the true extent to which her life has been dedicated to listening to others, travelling thousands of miles to hear women’s stories, and shining a light on their voices and experiences.

My feminist icon: Laura Bates reveals why Gloria Steinem inspires her the most