Unapologetically Fierce: Notorious R.B.G.
Photo: The Supreme Court of the United States
Last night, at President Obama’s State of the Union speech Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg—also known as Notorious R.B.G.—was in the audience wearing her famous Iris blue pharaoh necklace and fishnet gloves. Twitter went wild with the hashtag #RBG. At age 81—an age where women often disappear from the public view—this working mother of two has become an unexpected idol for both male and female millennials like me.
There is a total worship of Ginsburg to the point of memedom with young people, because she’s the real deal. In a world where politicians backtrack on their promises, her actions speak just as loud as her words. She has guts, conviction, and power. In Bush v. Gore in 2000, she objected to the rest of her peers’ decision to support Bush. “I dissent,” she wrote. It was customary for her to write “respectfully” afterwards, but she made a monumental statement by leaving the adverb out. Over 20 years into her career, she’s become a hero for generations of young women who are inspired to declare to the status quo, “I dissent”—no qualifier or apology needed.
Photo: Bloomberg/Getty
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg giving President Obama a warm embrace on his way to delivering the State of the Union address.
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As the second female to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States, an advocate for women’s rights, and a former law professor at Rutgers and Columbia, Ginsberg is a pioneer. Born and raised in a low-income, working-class neighborhood in Brooklyn, she defied the typical stereotypes of young women in the 1950s. She went to Cornell University where she met her husband, Martin Ginsburg, whose support she often credits as the reason why she was able to do so much in her career and be a mother. She graduated from Columbia at top of her class, where she was the first woman to make law review. Ginsburg started in academia, teaching on the faculty at Rutgers and becoming the first woman hired with tenure at Columbia Law School in 1972. That year, she also became the director of the ACLU’s Women’s Rights Projects. Before she was nominated by President Jimmy Carter to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals in D.C., she argued six cases for women’s rights in front of the Supreme Court, making a name for herself as a public advocate for gender equality. In 1981, President Bill Clinton nominated her for the Supreme Court. In her tenure thus far, Ginsburg has fervently argued against her peers and has called them out frequently for overlooking the conditions of American women in their decisions.
Photo: Bill Clark/Getty
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Ginsberg isn’t showing any signs of slowing down as she goes into her 80s. In an interview last September, she told The New Republic that she does weightlifting, elliptical, stretching, and push-ups twice a week with a personal trainer—the same one she shares with fellow Justice Elena Kagan. Additionally, she does the Canadian Air Force exercises everyday. And Ginsburg is not afraid to showcase her original and quirky style, pairing her black robes with statement necklaces and an assortment of lace gloves.
There’s a new biography on Ginsburg coming out in late 2015 that I can’t wait to get my hands on. In the meantime, I will be following her every inspiring move.
