'The Notorious R.B.G.' taught a new generation how to dissent with her internet stardom

Get the Full StoryWhen Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was 80 years old, she became an internet icon.

A law student started a Tumblr in her honor in 2013, dubbing her "The Notorious R.B.G." and in the years that followed, she became a meme that lined Etsy sellers' pockets. As much as her photo was flung around social media, her crowned head was emblazoned on T-shirts, her signature lace collar was reimagined as baby bibs, and she became "our lady of dissent" on votive candles you could buy for 15. Her internet domination both fueled and was fueled by her caricaturing on Saturday Night Live as a spunky old lady who could lift weights and kick ass. She particularly liked a popular T-shirt that read, Read more...More about Memes, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Culture, and Politics

Share: