My female role model is someone who I’m not related to, who doesn’t live on the same continent as me and who is even from an entirely different generation: Ruth Bader Ginsburg, AKA the “Notorious RBG”.
I chose Mrs. Ginsburg because of her determination, sly humor and endless hard work. She taught me that being a woman should never mean having to define yourself according to other’s prejudiced ideas. She juggled a stellar career as a lawyer and a fulfilling private life, which inspires me. As a filmmaker, I am sometimes struggling to find my place in life and society.
Ruth was one of the very first women to enter Harvard law school in (even more) patriarchal 1950’s America. During her husband’s difficult bout with cancer while they were both still students, she didn’t give up but instead studied night and day and thus secured both their graduations. In this world, you have to find your own voice, stand by it and work to defend it. This is my personal philosophy, guided by Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s life teachings.
At the Women’s Rights Projects at the ACLU, which she founded, Ruth went on to argue controversial cases that would redefine equal protection for genders under the law.
Today Ruth Bader Ginsburg is the one of three women, and one of the only liberals, on the US Supreme Court [ed. note: out of nine justices]. As a new wave of conservatism washes away the hard-won rights of minorities, women and LGBTQ people, Ruth seems like the last line of defence--making her the hero of many, including me!
Having been diagnosed with both colon cancer and pancreatic carcinoma in her sixties, she remains alive after two decades of struggle... this time not in the court of law but in the more fragile arena of personal health.
As my own mother fights cancer at the moment, Ruth’s resilience and spirit in the face of this terrible disease is a real inspiration to me: she’s only missed a single day of gym since her diagnosis! I use that strength to help my own family.
Mrs. Ginsburg has repeatedly stated that she won’t retire until she’s six feet under. Here’s hoping that she’ll continue fighting for quite some time!