Within the financial district of Manhattan in New York City, in a park called Bowling Green, a statue that attracts millions of tourist worldwide stands for all to see. The statue I am talking about is not the bronze “Charging Bull” statue, erected in 1989 by Arturo Di Modica, but rather the “‘Fearless Girl”, erected the night before International Women’s Day in 2017 and created by artist Kristen Visbal.
The “Fearless Girl”, initially planned to have run a six-week campaign (meaning it would be taken down next week on Sunday, April 2, 2017), was decided to stay up another year and be taken down next year in March 2018.
On Monday morning, Mayor Bill de Blasio stood next to the “Fearless Girl” statue for a press conference when he announced that the statue would stand proudly for another year. When speaking at this press conference, he said that the “sensation” this statue caused was because it provided a “sense that women were not going to live in fear.”
When one considers the highly divisive times America currently faces, this statue seems to be a symbol of perseverance to women of all ages, ethnicities, and sexual orientations. This statue speaks volumes to all women. It tells them that they have a voice. It tells them that they can stand up to anyone who belittles them.
While this artistic statement has had a massively positive reaction from both local New Yorkers and tourists alike, the love is not unanimous. According to Cara Sheffler, writer at The Guardian, this feminist statue does not stand for true feminism at all; as she says, “feminism is about human decency, not moulding young girls in the image of a banking industry that bets against us, shorts us, and then receives government bailout money.”
Whether or not you agree with the statement this clearly politically-charged statue is making, you cannot help but admire the attempt Visbal made at providing women with an empowering symbol to be forever remembered. In a time where Donald Trump, a man known for making demeaning statements about women (and many other minorities for that matter), is the president of the United States, one might be hard pressed to find an inspiration and symbol that can truly empower them. This statue gives them that symbol. It tells women to carry on and to keep on fighting and stand up to the bull.
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