Fearless Girl
      Everyone has a different viewpoint for certain topics. This becomes more obvious when something is considered polarizing from a political standpoint. Even so, artists are willing to go through great lengths in order to express their creative freedom, no matter what the reason may be. On the 8th of March 2017, State Street Global Advisors installed a 250lbs, 50 inch tall statue of a girl in front of the Charging Bull on Wall Street. The statue was originally a commission for Kristen Vispal, the artist behind the statue’s creation. The name of the statue is Fearless Girl.
Photo (c) Mark Lennihan
           The purpose of the commission was to capture the hearts of companies in order to allow more women to appear on their boards. The statue itself emits a powerful aura that symbolizes strength, confidence, and defiance. Being placed in front of the bull is supposed to amplify these effects, considering that most would find it rather dangerous to stand in the path of the Charging Bull. While it did receive a lot of praise and other positive attention from many individuals, not everyone quite touched by the new addition to Wall Street.
Photo (c) Anthony Quintano
           There were some people who believed that the statue was an unnecessary add-on to an already solid work of art. They felt as if the only reason why the Fearless Girl was created in the first place was to instigate more political drama between men and women. From their point of view, it may indeed seem that way. After all, if you were to view it from a simple standpoint, you could understand that it merely appears to be another case of “Man vs. Woman”. However, he amount of negative backlash did not prevent people from having their hearts moved by it. While the statue was still up, people would stand by it to take a commemorative photo, decorate it, and other harmless yet heartfelt things to show how much they appreciated it. Regardless of how anyone perceived the statue, the original meaning still stands firm.
Photo (c) Bebeto Matthews
           If I had to mention my opinion towards the Fearless Girl, it would be rather neutral. The concept of the design and it’s meaning was made with good intentions, and I’m able to understand that feeling through the posture and position of the statue. However, my initial reaction when I saw it during the trip to the Museum of the city of New York was not strong. The first thing that came to mind was “I recognized it from fanart I found on the internet”, which compelled me to work on it because it felt familiar. As someone who isn’t fond of politics, I didn’t want to view it from a political standpoint. I believe that the artist was successful in getting their message across. It’s quite bold to take a step to voice what you want from this world. I can’t help it but to give some respect to the commissioners and the artist.
