Question

Linda Greenhouse writes that Justice Ginsburg “in her ninth decade became a much younger generation’s unlikely cultural icon.” How did she become a cultural icon, according to the article? Why do you think she became one, despite — or perhaps because of — being an octogenarian woman?

Answer 1

Young women had her image tattooed on their arms; daughters were dressed in R.B.G. costumes for Halloween; and “You Can’t Spell Truth Without Ruth” appeared on bumper stickers and T-shirts. Scholars of the culture searched for an explanation for the phenomenon. Dahlia Lithwick, writing in The Atlantic in early 2019, offered this observation: “Today, more than ever, women starved for models of female influence, authenticity, dignity and voice hold up an octogenarian justice as the embodiment of hope for an empowered future.”

Step-by-step explanation: