A 4-feet tall bronze statue titled The Fearless Girl was placed in the heart of the Financial District in Manhattan, New York City on March 7th, 2017, a day before International Woman’s Day. The statue of The Fearless Girl was placed in front of the iconic statue known as Bull of Wall Street. The Bull of Wall Street has been there since the late 80’s. The Fearless Girl was made by Kristen Visbal, an American sculptor, and was commissioned by State Street Global Advisors in support of its campaign to “to pressure companies to add more women to their boards”. State Street also wrote letters to thousands of other companies that are included in the Russell 3000 index, and urged them to increase diversity on their respective boards. State Street claims there are no women board members at about a quarter of the companies who received the letter from State Street .
Why did the artist give the work that particular title?— The artist chose a title for the statue that would represent the fearlessness and bravery of women and inspire them to continue with the struggle for equality for woman in the workplace. The name and statue are meant to encourage women to not give up and stand up for their rights as well as to inspire young girls that they can succeed in a male-driven workplace like the Wall Street. This is, particularly, why the artist made the statue in the image of a 9-year old girl.

Other Artist Criticism- Di Modica claims that The Fearless Girl has corrupted the artistic integrity of his “Charging Bull.” He said in an interview given at his art studio that his protest is not aimed at snubbing the importance of gender equality but to defend the integrity of his art, “I put it there for art,”. “My bull is a symbol for America. My bull is a symbol of prosperity and for strength.” Contrasted with the soft, altruistic characteristics of the bronze girl, the “Charging Bull” now appears menacing and aggressive.

Has the artist done any other works like this one – The artist has made several other bronze sculptures. However, this is the most notable statue she has made. The artist has made statues of mostly people and animals. Her works include a statue of a NFL wide receiver who was also an Olypmian in 1964 and statues of dolphins in Myrtle Beach. The artist seems to reflect social issues through her work. The Fearless Girl is, by far, the most publicized work she has created to date as well as most politically or socially driven.

The feelings and thoughts about this art – This piece made me think about the #MeToo movement, #WereWithHer movement, and #NeverAgain movement. All of these movements represent the post-Trump era. The artist has been petitioning to have the statue placed at its current location for some time now. The statue got the approval and was finally placed at its location. I had not been to the financial district, Wall Street, or The World Trade Center since I was 9. I was walking to a certain place for drinks with some friends when I noticed a bunch of people taking pictures. I knew I was on Wall St so I decided to look for the famous bull statue. This was the very same statue we had discussed in my English class last semester.

The artist does explain how the art came about and what it means. She says at some point prior to the construction, during it, and after it were lively discussions about the statue, its meanings, and its appropriateness. Shortly after the statue was placed, more than 30,000 people petitioned to keep it in its location.

The statue is 50” tall. The artist positioned the statue so that the millions of visitors note the stark contrast between the size of the girl and the bull, and also observe the fearlessness of the “Fearless girl”. The work seemed comical to me at first but the more I looked at it, the more it changed my perspective. Now it represents humility to me, and how you can have “bullish behavior, strength, and prosperity” but you also need a touch of humility and compassion to understand social issues such as inequality in the workplace.