Neither Dolly Parton nor Gloria Steinem had children — and worked to make life better for children overall.

She paid tribute to the two feminist icons in a new post

“She didn’t tell us she was a feminist,” says Melnick, author of “I’ve Had to Think Up a Way to Survive: On Trauma, Persistence, and Dolly Parton.” “She showed us — in her actions and her words and in her songs. And I think that’s why people loved her so much.”

Gloria Steinem, the celebrated author and activist who became one of the most visible symbols and potent voices of the US women’s movement and a fierce advocate for feminist causes throughout her life,