The "Notorious RBG" phenomenon pays tribute to Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg by marrying her badass feminist legacy with the image of the Notorious BIG. The meme took over the internet, but no one actually brought the two cultural icons together. Until now.
In case you missed it, Ginsburg rose to internet fame in 2013 through the Notorious RBG Tumblr. Thanks to the Tumblr, Ginsburg's toughness and steel is now synonymous with the word "gangster." Now we have things like Ginsberg-inspired halloween costumes, a Twitter add-on that allows you to avatar yourself with her famous lace lapel and crown, and a New York Times best-selling book soon followed.
Why so many progressive women and men love her is simple: Ginsburg entered the legal world at a time when serious jobs weren't offered to women. She was chastised by Harvard Law professors for taking up a seat that they said should have gone to what they figured was a more qualified man, and then she went on to literally write the book on sex-discrimination law. She was appointed to the Supreme Court by President Bill Clinton in 1993 and has consistently supported abortion rights and gender equality. She's publicly stated, in a 2014 interview with Katie Couric, that her male colleagues on the bench have a "blind spot" when it comes to women's issues. It's no surprise that so many women have been inspired by RBG. She cracked the the glass ceiling and then secured the legal protections that have allowed other women to follow her. As Refinery29's in-house Pop Culture Pirate, I had to do my part to make this meme come to life. Making RBG rap Notorious BIG gave me the opportunity to watch (and watch) many of Ginsburg's speeches. At 82 years old, her feminist legacy lives on. I hope you'll want to watch it over and over…then maybe go to law school.
Why so many progressive women and men love her is simple: Ginsburg entered the legal world at a time when serious jobs weren't offered to women. She was chastised by Harvard Law professors for taking up a seat that they said should have gone to what they figured was a more qualified man, and then she went on to literally write the book on sex-discrimination law. She was appointed to the Supreme Court by President Bill Clinton in 1993 and has consistently supported abortion rights and gender equality. She's publicly stated, in a 2014 interview with Katie Couric, that her male colleagues on the bench have a "blind spot" when it comes to women's issues. It's no surprise that so many women have been inspired by RBG. She cracked the the glass ceiling and then secured the legal protections that have allowed other women to follow her. As Refinery29's in-house Pop Culture Pirate, I had to do my part to make this meme come to life. Making RBG rap Notorious BIG gave me the opportunity to watch (and watch) many of Ginsburg's speeches. At 82 years old, her feminist legacy lives on. I hope you'll want to watch it over and over…then maybe go to law school.
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