I’m not sure why it took Gloria Steinem’s death for me to really delve into her life. I knew she was a leader of second-wave feminism in the 1960s and a journalist, but I didn’t know much more than that. I was born in 1977, about three years after the Equal Credit Opportunity Act of 1974 made it illegal for creditors to discriminate against applicants on the basis of sex or marital status. This allowed women in the United States the right to get credit cards and loans in their own names without a male co-signer.

When I got my first credit card at 18, my mom told me she was almost 30 when she was given the same right.

Steinem’s death got me thinking a lot about my mom, who died in 2007 at 61 years old. Steinem was more than 10 years older than her, so my mom definitely witnessed her activism. I’d love to ask her what she thought of Steinem. Something tells me she would say mostly good things. Although my mom gave the impression that she was reserved, maybe even conservative, she was a feminist at heart, always encouraging my independent choices — choices she didn’t necessarily have.

When I started playing basketball as a kid, my mom told me she really liked playing basketball, too, but, in her time, girls were allowed to play only half court. When I got my first job as an editor at a medical association in Chicago, she told me to always have a plan to make my own money. When I decided to live on my own and then with my now husband, she supported it. When I told her I was keeping my maiden name after getting married, she said she wasn’t surprised. When I told her I was expecting my first child, a few months before she died, she told me to keep writing while being a mom.

If my mom knew I was being Steinem for Halloween, I bet she’d say, “Go for it.” In fact, this was the sentiment my mother-in-law expressed when I told her. “You’ll make a great Gloria” were her exact words, and then she emphasized I must wear aviator glasses over my hair like Steinem’s signature look.

Since Steinem’s Sept. 2 death, I’ve subscribed to Ms. Magazine, read articles about her, listened to many of her speeches and interviews and watched the documentaries “Dear Ms.: A Revolution in Print” and “Gloria: In Her Own Words,” as well as the Netflix interview, “Famous Last Words: Gloria Steinem.” I also read her final memoir, “An Unexpected Life,” which was published 20 days after she passed away.

So many moments in Steinem’s life are worthy of remembering, but what struck me most was her breakout moment in 1963 when she went undercover as a Playboy Bunny waitress at Hugh Hefner’s New York City club. Show magazine published her article “A Bunny’s Tale,” in which she exposed the poor working conditions and underpayment of the women working as bunnies. She also called out a mandatory gynecological exam that the waitresses had to undergo. The story caused tension between her and Hefner. However, he did send a letter to Steinem noting he eliminated the preemployment physical exams, and he eased up on some financial penalties for mistakes made by the bunnies.

Learning all of this inspired me to be Steinem for Halloween. I wanted to celebrate Steinem and introduce her to people who might not know her story. But dressing as her also gave me a way to connect with the generation of women my mother and mother-in-law grew up with.

I was happy when my husband agreed to be Hefner. We met at a Halloween party in 2000 at the former Southport Lanes in Lakeview. Since then, we embrace dressing up together. I decided to emulate the iconic 1970s look Steinem wore to a rally for a female state Senate candidate, and my husband wore recognizable Hefner robe attire. I knew people at the party we attended would know who he was, but I figured I’d have to explain who I was. Like me, many of my peers had heard of Steinem but didn’t know much about her.

Bringing up Steinem led to some interesting conversations. When I ran into someone dressed as Dolly Parton at the party, I thought of a recent episode of “The Daily” that explored the different ways Parton and Steinem championed female empowerment and independence.

I left the party thinking about how important it is to recognize the women of previous generations who helped make life easier and fairer for women today. I felt a strong urge to introduce my 16-year-old daughter and 19-year-old son to these women. Delving into Steinem’s life also made me realize how much we can learn from older generations if we take the time to ask about their lives while they’re still here. I hope to instill that appreciation in my children.

Although my children no longer can ask my mom and dad about their lives, they still have the opportunity to learn from their living grandparents and great aunts and uncles.

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Cathy Cassata is a freelance writer who specializes in stories about health, mental health, medical news and inspirational people.

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