MOVIE OF THE WEEK Sept 11, 2026: DEAR MS.: A REVOLUTION IN PRINT (In Memoriam for Gloria Steinem and Robin Morgan)
In a time when what it means to be a feminist seems to be as hotly contested as it ever has been, it’s illuminating to look back at the 1970s, when the “women’s lib” movement was hitting the mainstream. By telling the story of the magazine that strove to support and further that movement, Dear Ms.: A Revolution in Print reminds us of how much has changed since then…and how far we have to go. (AWFJ.org featured the documentary as our MOTW on July 2, 2025, we do so again to honor Ms. Magazine co-founders Gloria Steinem and Robin Morgan, recently deceased.)
Made up of three segments — each directed by a different female filmmaker — the documentary looks back at Ms. magazine’s eventful history by digging into some of its most memorable cover stories. Founding editors including Gloria Steinem, Robin Morgan, Letty Cottin Pogrebin, Pat Carbine, and more share the screen with well-known contributors like Alice Walker and Alan Alda as they recount their memories of what it was like to be at the center of a controversial social movement.
Part One, Salima Koroma’s A Magazine for All Women, tells Ms.‘ underdog origin story — everyone expected it to be a flop, but the 1971 test issue quickly sold out — and digs into the challenges it eventually faced regarding intersectionality and diversity (the interviewees acknowledge that having all of the founding editors be White women was a mistake). Part Two, Alice Gu’s A Portable Friend, looks closely at the gender roles and cultural factors that influenced Ms.‘ success, as well as sparked a backlash against it (the letters to the editor will make you want to punch a wall). And Part Three, Cecilia Aldarondo’s No Comment, focuses on how the magazine covered sex, particularly when it came to the thorny topics of erotica, pornography, and exploitation (shocker: feminists can disagree strongly on big issues!).
With its mix of insightful interviews, vintage footage from the 1970s/’80s/’90s, and thoughtfully chosen pop culture moments, Dear Ms. is a living, breathing time capsule of both an era and an important cause. The fact that so much of what the editors wrote about and debated is still being discussed today is simultaneously validating and, frankly, deeply frustrating. It’s hard not to feel like women should be further away from the chauvinism and oppression of the 20th century by now — but it’s also a good reminder of why Ms. and the passion that led to its founding are still very relevant in the current moment of trad wives and SkinnyTok. As Steinem puts it near the end of the film, “Unless you speak up, people don’t know you have a voice.” It’s imperative that women everywhere keep speaking up. — Betsy Bozdech
Team #MOTW’s comments:
Nell Minow: I was in college when Ms. first appeared and I subscribed from the very first issue. It was hugely inspirational and influential for me and for my friends. I love the way this documentary is structured around some of the magazine’s most impactful stories, especially the way Ms. created a new vocabulary for women to express (and legislators to pass laws about) concerns the were just considered normal in the past, like sexual harassment and what we now call domestic violence. The debate about feminism, pornography, and erotica was interesting but the way they handled it with candor and respect was fascination. For me, Ms. is still hugely inspirational and influential.
Sherin Nicole Ms. Magazine was never quiet—it was loud, insistent, and determined to sit at the intersections of feminism, even when it fumbled. Dear Ms: A Revolution in Print honors that legacy, exploring the magazine’s accolades as much as the lessons to be learned. What grabbed me, beyond the magazine’s place in history, is how the doc doesn’t shy away from the messy parts: when Ms. didn’t recognize the faceted support Black women, other women of color, or women who defied respectability needed. It faces the criticism head-on, acknowledging the times when the magazine’s pages reflected privilege more than plurality, and when intersectionality was more aspiration than reality. Each part, directed by one of a trio of filmmakers—Cecilia Aldarondo, Alice Gu, and Salima Koroma—gives us a 360-degree view of a publication that sometimes imperfectly but importantly gave us the lexicon of modern feminism. And begs us not to stop there. The women behind Ms. Magazine wrote womankind out of the margins, then demanded the whole page. More than five decades after the first issue of Ms. was first published in 1972, women are stil fighting for equal rights and opportunities, and the documentary stands as a lasting trbute to Ms. co-founders, iconic feminst activists Gloria Steinem and Robin Morgan.
Leslie Combemale Broken into three parts, and directed by three female filmmakers, Dear Ms.: A Revolution in Print aims to capture how vital the feminist magazine was in reframing and contextualizing culture for American women. I’m happy to say it not only feels like a celebration of sisterhood, and of an important feminist touchstone, it also reveals stories and elements of the magazine that were new to me. Dear Ms. shows just how fearless and forward-thinking issue after issue was, but also how willing those in charge always were to learn, change, and course correct. The name Dear Ms. is a reference to the famous letters section of the magazine, where so many women wrote in from the very beginning to respond to its articles. After the first issue, there were hundreds of letters in which women said they’d finally felt seen and heard. Ms. was a place where their thoughts were given voice. Now that’s power. Read full review.
Jennifer Merin Dear Ms: A Revolution in Print, a compelling and informative documentary about the inception and history of Ms Magazine, illustrates the impact the publication has had on American politics and culture. On camera interviews and archival footage show how co-founders Gloria Steinem and Robin Morgan, along with Jane Fonda and other Ms. editors and contributors, created the magazine that became a leading force in the women’s movement. We welcome and recognize the power of women’s media in elevating the women’s movement and bringing about positive life style and career change for women in the US and around the world. We can be proud to know that AWFJ has been and is on the cutting edge with our Movie of the Week feature. Dear Ms: A Revolution in Print was selected as our Movie of the Week for July 2, 2025, when the documentary was released online. We again feature the documentary as a tribute to the feminist leaders who founded the influential magazine. Long live the Gloria Steinem and Robin Morgan legacy and here’s to the women’s movement and liberation! The struggle is ongoing, but Dear Ms: A Revolution in Print raises awareness, stimulates public discourse and inspires perseverance. Watch it anew and again for feminist inspiration.
Loren King The creation of Ms. magazine is so central to the dawn of the modern movement for women’s equality that it needs to be documented in depth. Dear Ms.: A Revolution in Print is a great start; even at less than two hours, it captures the energy and enthusiasm of the magazine’s heady early years from its launch in 1972 and its immediate impact on women from all walks of life and on the culture as a whole. The film examines cultural, political, publishing and personal stories so layered that’s it’s no surprise it left me wanting more. The film is divided into three parts, each one examining issues through the lens of one iconic cover story and directed, respectively, by Salima Koroma, Alice Gu and Cecilia Aldarondo. With rich archival footage and interviews with Ms. founders and key early figures including Gloria Steinem, Robin Morgan, Letty Cottin Pogrebin, Pat Carbine, Suzanne Braun Levine, Lindsy Van Gelder, Marcia Ann Gillespie and Michelle Wallace, the film is an important and extraordinary time capsule of the magazine’s successes, struggles and enduring legacy. It also pays due tribute to its recenty deceased co-founders Gloria Steinem and Robin Morgan.
Sandie Angulo Chen: As we pay tribute to the late great Gloria Steinem and Robin Morgan, who dedicated their lives to elevating and advocating for women’s rights as human rights, let’s revisit the three-part documentary Dear Ms.: A Revolution in Print. Directed by Salima Koroma, Alice Gu, and Cecilia Aldarondo, the film provides a fascinating chronicle of the women journalists, writers, and activists—some of them self-described “baby feminists”—who created the magazine by and for women that helped change the course of feminism in the United States. The influence of Steinem and Morgan is immeasurable, and this documentary offers a compelling reminder of the extent of their reach.
Liz Whittemore We’ve lost two of the country’s most influential feminist voices within a weeks time. In a political landscape hellbent on stiffling women’s very existence, it feels imperative that we honor Gloria Steinheim’s and Robin Morgan’s legacies by featuring a documentary about one of their most prolific accomplishments in Salima Koroma, Alice Gu, and Cecilia Aldarondo’s Dear Ms: A Revolution in Print. To counter the capitalist fodder on the newsstands, Steinheim approached the top female editors and writers in the business with a grand idea. The birth of Ms. Magazine in 1971 changed American print journalism as we know it. The Documentary’s multipart structure utilizes gorgeous archival footage, eye-catching transition fonts, and sit-down interviews with the original staff and scholars. Dear Ms: A Revolution in Print beautifully delivers the history of the visionary publication. Dear Ms: A Revolution in Print reminds us to live Steinem’s words and continue to scream to the world, “We are the women our parents warned us against, and we are proud.” Read full review.
Cate Marquis In honor of Gloria Steinem and Robin Morgan, let’s revisit the 2025 documentary Dear Ms.: A Revolution in Print, a wide-ranging, even comprehensive, look at the legendary MS Magazine, the ground-breaking women’s publication co-founded by Gloria Steinem and Robin Morgan. The documentary is divided into three historical periods, which help put the magazine in the social and political context of the progression of the women’s movement, from the early days of second-wave feminism in the 1960s and 1970s and up through the present day. The documentary looks at how the magazine, and society, have evolved, and puts a special spotlight on Gloria Steinem and the other MS Magazine founders, while additionally featuring interviews and footage of other editors and contributors to this revolutionary publication. Dear Ms.: A Revolution in Print delves into both the situation of women in society at large and the struggles within the magazine itself, such as representation of Black women and their own feminist issues which differed from concerns of affluent white women. Some of the cultural history shown in the documentary might shock younger women viewers, such as male behavior in the earlier days of feminism, but this strong documentary spotlights both the progress made and the battles still being fought for and by women, making it a fine tribute to the long career and inspiring work of feminist/activist/journalists Gloria Steinem and Robin Morgan.
FILM DETAILS:
Title: Dear Ms.: A Revolution in Print
Directors: Cecilia Aldarondo, Alice Gu, Salima Koroma
Release Date: July 2, 2025 (Internet)
Running Time: 110 minutes
Language: English
Screenwriters: Documentary
Lead Performers: Gloria Steinem, Robin Morgan, Letty Cottin Pogrebin, Pat Carbine, Suzanne Braun Levine, Lindsy Van Gelder, Marcia Ann Gillespie, Michelle Wallace, Alan Alda
Distribution Company: HBO Documentaries
AWFJ Movie of the Week Panel Members: Sandie Angulo Chen, Betsy Bozdech, Leslie Combemale, Pam Grady, Loren King, Cate Marquis, Jennifer Merin, Nell Minow, Sherin Nicole, Liz Whittemore
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Edited by Jennifer Merin
