“Fearless Girl” Statue
Throughout the history of America,
women have been underestimated, especially in their abilities to occupy the
same jobs as men. This was especially true in office buildings and large
companies, where women were and still are, in some cases, unable to be promoted
or paid as much as men. Wall Street, a famous area in the Financial District of
New York City, was mainly employed with men from its establishment in 1817
until Muriel Siebert bought a seat on the New York Stock Exchange in 1967. However,
no women followed Siebert’s steps onto Wall Street for another 10 years. Even
today, women on Wall Street are still discriminated due to their gender, which
is the main reason this sculpture was created.
In
1989, Arturo Di Modica created the Charging Bull statue in 1989, which
symbolizes the aggressiveness of financial prosperity. Due to Wall Street’s
evident discrimination, many believe that the bull also symbolizes the power of
men in the financial industry. On the other hand, on March 8, 2017, sculptor
Kristen Visbal installed a statue of a young girl standing in front of the
bull. This statue symbolizes the power that women have, no matter their age or
experience. Set in place for International Women’s Day, the defiant girl is
meant to encourage firms to hire more women, and to grant them the jobs they
deserve. The hands-on-hips pose and open stance shows that the girl is ready to
face whatever the bull has in store for her, just as women on Wall Street are
able and prepared to tackle the financial industry and to hold corporate
positions. Although it is only expected to remain in this spot for a week,
images of this art piece have already spread throughout the internet,
empowering women past those on Wall Street. Everywhere in the world, women have
viewed this picture, and are thus reminded of their true strength and power, no
matter their age.
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