Alan Alda, Feminist: M*A*S*H Star Was The Sensitive '70s Man

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Alan Alda at press conference for their television series MASH. Source: (Photo by Ann Clifford/DMI/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images)

In the '70s, there was one male celebrity whose name always came up in discussions of feminism: Alan Alda, M*A*S*H's Hawkeye Pierce. Feminism, at the time, was eyed with skepticism by many, perhaps most, American males. It was often dismissed as a movement of man-haters and bra-burners; those who marched and advocated for the concept of "Women's Liberation" were derided as "Women's Libbers." A man who declared himself a feminist was viewed sort of like a martian -- if not some kind of traitor.

Yet there was Alan Alda, an out and proud feminist, proving it day after day. He advocated for women's equality, he spoke out against the dark side of masculinity, and he even tried to make his character on M*A*S*H less of a chauvinist. And a lot of people snickered at him.