海角大神

Sure, there were the RBG bobbleheads, the Halloween getups, the lace collars, the workout videos. The 鈥淚 dissent鈥� T-shirts, the refrigerator magnets, the onesies for babies, or costumes for cats. And yes, the face masks, with slogans like: 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 spell TRUTH without RUTH.鈥�

But the pop culture status that Ruth Bader Ginsburg found 鈥� or rather, that found her 鈥� in recent years was just a side show, albeit one that amused her, to the unique and profound impact she had on women鈥檚 lives. First as a litigator who fought tenaciously for the courts to recognize equal rights for women, one case at a time, and later as the second woman to sit on the hallowed bench of the Supreme Court, Justice Ginsburg left a legacy of achievement in gender equality that had women of varied ages and backgrounds grasping for words this weekend to describe what she meant to them.

鈥淪he was my teacher in so many ways,鈥� said Gloria Steinem, the nation鈥檚 most visible feminist leader, in an interview. But even if she hadn鈥檛 known her personally, Ms. Steinem said, it was due to Justice Ginsburg, who died Friday of complications of cancer, that 鈥渇or the first time I felt the Constitution was written for me.鈥�

鈥淣ow, it wasn鈥檛 written for me 鈥� it left out most folks, actually, when it was written,鈥� Ms. Steinem added. But, she said, by forcing the courts to address issues like workplace discrimination, sexual assault, and a host of others, Justice Ginsburg 鈥渓iterally made me feel as if I had access to the law, because Ruth was there.鈥�

But the extent of Justice Ginsburg鈥檚 influence was felt not only by older women like Ms. Steinem who understood from experience the obstacles Justice Ginsburg faced, such as not being able to find a job at a New York law firm despite graduating at the top of her class at Columbia Law School.

Younger women and girls also say they were inspired by the justice鈥檚 achievements, her intellect, and her fierce determination as she pursued her career. Hawa Sall, a first-generation college student in New York, said it was Justice Ginsburg who inspired her to attend Columbia, where she鈥檚 now an undergraduate studying human rights and planning on law school.

鈥淗er resilience, her tenacity, her graciousness through it all 鈥� she鈥檚 always been one of my biggest inspirations in life,鈥� said Ms. Sall, who lives in Brooklyn where Justice Ginsburg was born, and whose family comes from Mali and Senegal. 鈥淪he鈥檚 what I鈥檝e always wanted to be, and still want to be.鈥�

Ms. Sall says she was fascinated by what she learned about Justice Ginsburg when she attended an event at the Lower Eastside Girl鈥檚 Club in Manhattan for the 2015 book, 鈥淣otorious RBG,鈥� by Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik (the title played on the name of Brooklyn rapper The Notorious B.I.G.). That book was part of a wave of rock-star like fame that enveloped Justice Ginsburg in her later years on the bench, making her a hero to a younger generation: There was also a famed impression by Kate McKinnon on 鈥淪aturday Night Live,鈥� a feature film, starring Felicity Jones as Justice Ginsburg, and the hit documentary 鈥淩BG,鈥� both in 2018.

Julie Cohen and Betsy West, who co-directed 鈥淩BG,鈥� saw firsthand how women of all ages quickly identified with Justice Ginsburg.

鈥淲e鈥檇 go to screenings ... and afterward older women who had been through the kind of discrimination she faced as a young woman would be sobbing ... because they knew what she was up against, and what she did to help them and their daughters and granddaughters,鈥� Ms. West said.

But also, Ms. Cohen added: 鈥淪he became a huge symbolic figure for young women and even girls in a way that we hadn鈥檛 anticipated. So many children came to the movie, often little girls dressed in little robes. ... Girls seemed to find her just mesmerizing.鈥�

Ms. West theorizes the fascination might have come from Justice Ginsburg鈥檚 small stature. Her legacy, though, was nothing less than enormous, she said: 鈥淪he changed the world for American women.鈥�

It wasn鈥檛 just Democratic-leaning women who praised Justice Ginsburg. Stacey Feeback from Fayetteville, North Carolina, a voter at a weekend rally for President Donald Trump, said the justice was 鈥渁n inspirational woman.鈥�

鈥淪he meant a lot to the [women鈥檚] movement,鈥� Ms. Feeback said. 鈥淪he鈥檚 been an inspiration. She鈥檚 brought America and women forward in a generation.鈥�

Justice Ginsburg first gained fame as a litigator for the Women鈥檚 Rights Project of the American Civil Liberties Union, which she directed in the 鈥�70s. The project marked 鈥渁 real turning point for situating women鈥檚 rights not just as a gender issue, but as a civil rights issue that affected all of us,鈥� said Ria Tabacco Mar, its current head.

At the time, the Supreme Court had never applied the Constitution鈥檚 guarantee of 鈥渆qual protection of the laws鈥� to strike down a law because of gender discrimination. That changed in 1971 with a case in which Justice Ginsburg helped persuade the high court to invalidate an Idaho law that called for choosing men over women to administer the estates of the dead.

Two years later, she again prevailed 鈥� making her first oral argument before the high court she would later join 鈥� in the case of a female Air Force officer whose husband was denied spousal benefits that male officers鈥� wives automatically received.

鈥淔or every gender injustice that we see today, Ruth Bader Ginsburg saw it first, and she fought it first,鈥� said Ms. Tabacco Mar.

Devi Rao, one of Justice Ginsburg鈥檚 law clerks in 2013, said the justice had taught her that 鈥渓aw isn鈥檛 just about the law 鈥� it鈥檚 about the people whose lives are impacted by those laws.鈥�

Ms. Rao, who now works on appellate cases for a civil rights firm, said Justice Ginsburg 鈥渄istinguished herself in a man鈥檚 world and on a man鈥檚 court without looking like them or sounding like them, but simply because they couldn鈥檛 deny the power of her ideas. She teaches women and girls not to count themselves out even though they don鈥檛 look like those in power.鈥�

It鈥檚 that lesson that mothers like Brianne Burger hope their daughters will understand. Earlier this year, Ms. Burger posted a photo of her daughter Adi on Facebook, outfitted as RBG in black robe and glasses for a school dress-up day in Washington, D.C. The girl came home delighted, her mother said, that so many people recognized her costume.

鈥淪he still talks about that day,鈥� said Ms. Burger.

Asked what Adi understands about Justice Ginsburg, the mother replied: 鈥淪he knows that RBG made girls equal to boys.鈥�

This story was reported by The Associated Press. AP writers Jennifer Peltz in New York; Jessica Gresko in Washington; and Bryan Anderson in Fayetteville, North Carolina, contributed to this report.