The battle to keep the “Fearless Girl” on wall street, opposite the charging bull, may just have found it’s most powerful ally yet …the Mayor!
When artist Kristen Visbal created the “Fearless Girl” I doubt she expected the kind of adulation the statue has received. She has become the subject of thousands of selfie’s and a symbol of empowerment for countless NYC women. As the four foot tall bronze statue marches ever closer to it’s April 2 removal date, the Mayor finally spoke up about her fate this week:
“In terms of a longer presence, I’m open to that and we’re going to be looking at that, […] I understand for a lot of people it’s a fantastically powerful symbol and certainly for a lot of women, a lot of girls as well. So, we’re going to see what we can do to prolong the presence.”
The piece isn’t universally loved, Arturo Di Modica, the man who sculpted the Bull statue in 1989, criticized the “Fearless Girl” statue, telling Market Watch, “My bull is a symbol for America. My bull is a symbol of prosperity and for strength…Women, girls, that’s great, but that’s not what [the bull] is.” I would argue that his statue has evolved to better reflect today’s society, the bull positively drips of patriarchal symbolism and not only does the girl add balance, but a much needed commentary on the role of women in the financial industry. Sure, the piece started it’s life as a PR stunt, placed opposite the bull by Wall Street investment firm State Street Global Advisors, but Viagra started life as heart medication, and I don’t see many men complaining about that!
More of our coverage on the Fearless Girl:
- Thousands Join The Fight To Make The “Fearless Girl” A Permanent Fixture On Wall Street
- The Mayor’s Office Will Remove The “Fearless Girl” Soon …One Public Advocate Is Fighting Back
- This Wall Street “Bro” Dry-Humping The Fearless Girl Statue Has Facebook Fuming
- Everything You Need To Know About The “Fearless Girl” Staring Down Wall Street’s Charging Bull
We asked you what you thought, we think you made it pretty clear:
Featured image source [Instagram | lookfeelyourbest]