An accurate representation of us during the panel

Last night, Barnard College hosted a panel featuring the authors of the new book Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Judicial Junkies Courtney Couillard and another Bwog staffer checked out the event.

The symbol of the “Notorious RBG” has floated around the internet for some time now, featuring images of the Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s classic smirk, a gold crown on her head. Drawing comparisons between Ginsburg and another Brooklyn icon, Biggie Smalls, this badass representation of the Justice went viral after co-author Shana Knizhnik began a Tumblr with the slogan “notorious RBG.” In opening the panel discussion last night, Shana explained that she got her inspiration from a hashtag on Facebook, and couldn’t believe there was not already a space on the internet to celebrate the success and impact of RBG.

Moving away from the discussing the origins of the RBG pop-culture movement, the panel focused on analyzing the Justice’s involvement in various court cases as well as her positions on reproductive rights and equal rights. Shana and Irin Carmon, her co-author, explained how RBG always believed in defending the rights of both men and women, reinventing her own definition of feminism to be inclusive of all people regardless of gender.

The panelists discussed RBG’s marriage to Marty Ginsburg as inspiration for her position; Ginsburg describes herself as never experiencing “second class treatment” within the relationship or marriage. Shana and Irin also made the point of how Ginsburg’s students at Rutgers shaped many of her views as a feminist, since the Justice lacked formal experience with the feminist movement before it was introduced to her. Drawing from these personal experiences, RBG developed her goals as a judge to fight for equality for all.

In addition to bringing up RBG’s influence on equal labor rights, Shana and Irin dived into conversation about RBG’s compassionate nature towards others and consideration for various experiences. Growing up in Brooklyn during the Great Depression, RBG understood the plight of the less fortunate even though she experienced a generally affluent life. As an example of the Justice’s ingrained sense of frugality, Irin explained to the crowd that RBG still frequently goes to CVS with stacks of coupons.

While RBG may be known as an intellectual powerhouse in the Supreme Court, Shana and Irin shared with the audience that RBG is a physical powerhouse as well, noting that she can do 20 pushups and was an avid water skier until the age of 70. Another quirk of the Justice is that she will wear her “dissenting collar” on rulings in which she presents or participates in the dissenting decision. If the dissenting collar wasn’t enough to prove her badassery, the Justice is said to have a “work hard, play hard” mentality, in which she goes to the theater every night and even attends the after-show events.

With all of the internet hype surrounding RBG and her status as a paragon for equality under the law, Shana and Irin shared the Justice’s response to her rise to fame. Apparently RBG doesn’t want anymore people getting tattoos of her, saying that it’s a bit too extreme. However, she’s known to rock a “Notorious RBG” t-shirt, complete with a crowned depiction of her own face, while working out. We’re guessing that RBG is pretty casual about her following, but deep down, she has to know that she’s the most badass Jewish grandmother ever.

The woman, the myth, the legend via Shutterstock