Entertainment
Bradley Cooper & Ruth Bader Ginsburg In 'Time' 100
For Time's annual "100 Most Influential People" list, there is always an eclectic mix of Titans, Pioneers, Artists, Leaders, and Icons. This year's list is no different, with Kanye West leading the Time 100 as the "Titan of Titans" and other influencers including women's education activist Malala Yousafzai, actress and gender equality activist Emma Watson, Serial's Sarah Koenig, and politician Hillary Clinton. Among the 37 females included in this year's list, Supreme Court judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg — better known as Notorious RBG here at Bustle — is one of those who scored one of the magazine's five covers. Although it isn't surprising to see her recognized, it is a bit jarring when you see her cover alongside Bradley Cooper's.
Even though he represents the "Artists" section while she represents the "Icons," putting them in the same breath feels confusing. Cooper made American Sniper, the film about late Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, and starred in Elephant Man on Broadway while Ginsburg penned a 35-page dissent Hobby Lobby's ruling and stood up for racial discrimination. All of those things are great in their own right, but, if you compare them to each other, Ginsburg has done a lot more.
Let's take a closer look at some of their milestones of 2014 to see who is the biggest influencer here.
Bradley Cooper
- Starred in American Sniper as former Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, who was the most lethal sniper in U.S. history. He was nominated for a Golden Globe and Oscar for his role and took home a Critics' Choice Award.
- Voiced Rocket Raccoon in Guardians of the Galaxy, which was the top-grossing superhero movie of 2014 and a huge sensation.
- Played the lead role in The Elephant Man, portraying extremely deformed man John Merrick in the Victorian-era play. He underwent an immense transformation, both physically and mentally, for the incredible role.
- Joined the Board of Directors for Paul Newman's charity, The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp. He volunteered as a cabin counselor for children with immunology disorders such as HIV/AIDS back in 2006 before officially signing on to the charity.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
- Wrote a brilliant 35-page dissent after the ruling in the Hobby Lobby case. The Supreme Court ruled that the company did not have to provide full health insurance benefits, contraception included, and Ginsburg did not agree. It inspired memes, YouTube videos, personal essays, and cheering around the world from supporters.
- She made made many badass dissents during her 21 years in the Supreme Court. She celebrated her 21st anniversary in 2014.
- Ginsburg also said America is finally ready for gay marriage and spoke out against America's race problem, championing for equal rights and bringing attention to important issues.
- For a touch of fun, she wore fishnet gloves at the State of the Union and "wasn't 100 percent sober" when she fell asleep during the address.
Who Is The Most Influential?
Even though Cooper is a phenomenal actor and a very charming person, Ginsburg made real impacts in the Supreme Court and to people around the world with her impassioned talks about equal rights. If we look back in 21 more years, I'm sure she'll have tackled many more incredible topics and penned even better dissents.
Images: Time (2); Getty Images (2)