March 7, 2017, a fearless little girl emerged to face an angry bull on a busy New York street. The day before International Women’s Day, this Fearless Girl statue arrived at Bowling Green in Manhattan’s Financial District, ready with her chest flared out, feet shoulders width apart, and hands on her hips. Standing before her is the famous Wall Street Charging Bull, a symbol of strong, aggressive and optimistic ideas of prosperity in the financial world. The overall symbolism for this piece is to take a stand for women’s workplace equality, especially in the male-dominated trade of finance.
Already, this piece has been called an advertising ploy for the company who commissioned it. Her plaque that once laid at her feet read “Know the power of women in leadership. SHE makes a difference,” with the emphasis on the word “SHE.” Apparently, “SHE” is an investment product of those who commissioned the statue. And while these words may have a double meaning, they give a verbal statement to the cause. However, to not take away any further power from this little girl, the plaque has such been removed.
The original timeline for this piece to stay on the street was 30 days. However, due to high publicity and love for this bronze little girl, she was allowed an extension to stay for at least 11 months. However, the artist of the Bull statue is now taking a stand against the artwork, claiming it ruins his personal art’s aesthetic. Many people have been claiming that is just being sexist towards women in regards to an already sexist environment for females.
While I can see his point, in that if this little girl can face a raging bull, then that bull must not be very aggressive or intimidating, I must say I believe the Fearless Girl should hold her ground. The artwork itself is beautiful, and the message cannot be undermined. The bull is still a strong component. It is still a male-dominated nation, and this little girl only wants to grow to be as good as men. This statue will not ruin the precision and artistic significance of the original piece, and this statue will not make the Wall Street Bull any less of a symbol to New York.
I personally believe in the state that the piece is making. I believe that women should get paid the same as men for doing the same job as men. Within the last 100 years, women have grown not only to have a voice but also in how to use that voice to fight for equality. To me, the Fearless Girl not only represents the determination that we should be instilling in the young women of the world, yet it represents how much more women need to grow in terms of equality. One day, that little girl will grow to be a woman, and she should be paid as much as her male coworkers into whatever professional field she may decide to go into. And who’s to say that she won’t one day be given a red flag and get to challenge that bull even further?