#prayforrbg was trending on Twitter last week, as half of America obsessed over the health of US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. After she fell and fractured three ribs, swathes of America gasped in horror. People offered up their own ribs, while others suggested using copious supplies of bubble wrap to protect the judge from further bumps.

Why the panic? Because, as one of four liberal judges in a court of nine, if Ruth – age 85 – were to stop working,
it would open up a spot on the Supreme Court. This would allow Trump to nominate another judge, his third after Neil Gorsuch and the controversial Brett Kavanaugh. Any new pick would likely be pro-life and anti-gun control, and strengthen the court’s conservative influence. No pressure, Ruth.

But Ruth is also an icon in her own right. She’s inspired memes, been parodied on SNL and had her face plastered on T-shirts. Some women have tattoos of her, while Gloria Steinem said she is ‘the closest thing to a superhero I know’. She is also the subject of two upcoming folms, the documentary RBG and On The Basis Of Sex, a biopic starring Felicity Jones.

So how did this 5ft 1in opera-lover become such a pop culture icon? And why now, after serving on the Supreme Court for 25 years? Much of her popularity among Millennials can be attributed to the Tumblr account Notorious RBG – a playful nod to late rapper Notorious B.I.G – which lawyer Shana Knizhnik started back in 2013. ‘It was a way to celebrate Justice Ginsburg’s career and life, and have fun with it,’ she tells Grazia. ‘Young women were starved of icons who have achieved the kind of stature she has, been working as long as she has and continue to fight for a more equal and just society.’ The account was such a hit it spawned a best-selling book and exhibition in LA.

Shana thinks people respond to the contrast between Ruth’s diminutive appearance and the fiery opinions she has become known for. ‘The intergenerational aspect of her popularity is also incredible,’ says Ruth. ‘There aren’t many older women who get the kind of recognition she does.’

On The Basis Of Sex will look at her early career. In the 1950s, she was one of only nine women in a class of 500 at Harvard Law School. ‘RBG never imagined becoming a Supreme Court Justice, much less an icon,’ says the film’s writer Daniel Stiepleman, who also happens to be Ruth’s nephew. ‘Heck, when she graduated top of her class from law school, she couldn’t even find a job as a lawyer.’

It’s also a love story about her marriage to Marty Ginsburg – her biggest champion and, as she says, ‘the first boy I ever knew who cared that I had a brain’ – who died in 2010.

In the 1970s, as co-founder of American Civil Liberties Union’s Women’s Rights Project, Ruth argued and won many landmark gender equality cases. She was nominated as a Supreme Court Justice by Bill Clinton in 1993, becoming only the second women to sit on the bench. She is currently one of three, and the oldest serving justice.

As the court has gradually become more conservative, she’s found herself as the voice of dissent. So what does she make of all the attention? ‘She enjoys it,’ says Daniel. ‘Last year, she gave my wife a Notorious RBG T-shirt for Hanukkah. But she’s also smart enough to know that it represents an opportunity to share the values she believes in with a wider public.’

After her fall, Ruth was out of hospital within two days. ‘She’s already back and working and doing great,’ says Daniel. ‘And pleased that her fall seems to have been a real boon for the flower shops in Washington, DC.’
Since she has already battled two types of cancer without missing a day on the bench, her resilience should come as no surprise. As her personal trainer Bryant Johnson says, ‘She’s tough as nails.’

Ruth has said that as long as she can keep working full-steam, retirement isn’t on the cards. ‘I have all the faith that she’s doing OK,’ says Shana.