Betty Friedan inspired this political and cultural movement for women’s rights by writing The Feminine Mystique in 1963. Supporters, calling themselves “feminists,” borrowed ideas from the Civil Rights movement and also pioneered techniques like consciousness-raising to persuade women that personal experiences had political significance. While independent, feminist-inspired activity erupted in many arenas of American life, the organized movement itself struggled with a bias towards white, middle-class women. The defeat of the Equal Rights Amendment somewhat obscured the movement’s success in passing sportsequity legislation, legalizing abortion, increasing educational and professional opportunities for women and weakening fashion hegemony.