Earlier it was announced that the statue of the ‘Fearless Girl’ in New York City would continue standing up to the ‘Charging Bull’ for another year. The original permit was supposed to be up April 2, but now it is set to remain on Wall Street until March 2018.
Recently though, Arturo Di Mondica, the artist of the ‘Charging Bull’, described the ‘Fearless Girl’ as an “advertising trick” rather than a symbol. He seems to think that a 50-inch tall girl placed in front of a bull is a ploy to turn women into ravenous monsters who will take over the world. While I personally would love to see this happen, that was not the purpose of the statue.
‘Fearless Girl’ artist and Delaware native, Kristen Visbal, commented on Di Mondica’s statements in an interview with the New York Post.
“The bull is beautiful, it’s a stunning piece of art,” she said. “But the world changes and we are now running with his bull.”
When asked about Visbal’s statue, Di Mondica urged women’s rights groups to stay aware of the obvious marketing attempts. He says that people should not see the sculpture as a empowering symbol for women, and claims “they made a mistake” in trying to inspire women on, well, International Women’s Day.
Di Monica’s beliefs add to the common interpretation most men appear to have on feminism. They think that all feminists hate men, that we wish to be superior to them. But, as Merriam-Webster defines it, feminism is “the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes”, not one sex. Feminists believe in equality for people of all religions, races and sexual orientations. Common misconceptions often blind people to the reality of feminism, or intersectional feminism.
With the ‘Fearless Girl’ officially staying in her place in front of the ‘Charging Bull’ for an additional year, I’m sure Di Mondica will have more to say on this subject. For now, I continue to support Visbal on her work and congratulate her on having her permit extended. I love seeing pictures of little girls posing with her piece, and hope to be able to see her myself one day.
View more of Kristen Visbal’s work on her official website!
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