This article is an excerpt from the Shortform book guide to "My Name Is Barbra" by Barbra Streisand. Shortform has the world's best summaries and analyses of books you should be reading.
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What presidential candidates received support from Barbra Streisand? What charitable causes does she give toward?
According to Barbra Streisand, politics and philanthropy are her twin passions. Despite her extraordinary career, Barbra Streisand—who’s now in her 80s—doesn’t discuss her work when talking about her legacy. Instead, she emphasizes her desire to leave a kinder and fairer world for future generations.
Read more to learn about the causes that Streisand holds close to her heart.
Barbra Streisand’s Politics
For Barbra Streisand, politics is not a private matter. She describes herself as a feminist and a liberal; she holds up her life and career as testaments to those words.
Professionally, she shattered numerous glass ceilings in the entertainment industry, proving that women can be just as creative and successful as men. To people who respond negatively to her desire for creative control by calling her overbearing or a “control freak,” she asks why it’s a bad thing for a woman to manage her own projects when it’s expected for a man to do so.
(Shortform note: Though Streisand made great strides for women in the entertainment industry, it’s unfortunately still common for them to be mistreated and taken advantage of. For example, in The Woman in Me, pop star Britney Spears goes into detail about how her father—who also acted as her manager—forced her into a legal conservatorship so that he could remain in control of her life and her career. She suffered his control and his abuse for more than a decade before a court finally freed her from the conservatorship in 2021.)
Streisand openly supports liberal politicians. She performed at a fundraiser for Bill Clinton when he was running for president; she also supported Hilary Clinton’s 2008 campaign, then shifted her support to Barack Obama when he won the nomination. She adds that she was horrified by Donald Trump’s presidency and wrote the song “Don’t Lie to Me” in protest against him.
(Shortform note: To give an example of her political views, Streisand’s official website has rehosted an article from the New York Times—written shortly before the 2016 election—discussing the impact of liberal feminism and Obama’s presidency on white men in the US. In brief, the article says that many white men, who are generally used to having power, respect, and money, have failed (or refused) to change with the times. Therefore, Trump’s popularity was the result of men’s fury at a world that they believe is leaving them behind. While the facts and details of that article are open for debate, the fact that Streisand’s website is hosting it implies that Streisand believes what it says.)
Barbra Streisand’s Philanthropy
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Here's what you'll find in our full My Name Is Barbra summary:
- The autobiography of Barbra Streisand, a rare EGOT winner
- Streisand's childhood, romantic relationships, and extensive career
- Why Streisand began singing despite having little to no formal training
