Most women’s magazines simply try to mold women into bigger and better consumers.

Steinem’s remark criticizes the commercial logic that has long shaped mainstream women’s media. Instead of treating women as full political and social subjects, such magazines often frame “self-improvement” as purchasing power—beauty, domesticity, and lifestyle aspirations achieved through products. The line also implies that editorial content can function as advertising’s ally, narrowing the range of acceptable female identities to those that are marketable. Coming from a leading feminist journalist and co-founder of Ms. magazine, the quote reflects a broader second-wave feminist push to challenge how culture and media reproduce gender roles, especially when those roles serve consumer capitalism more than women’s autonomy.