By Cheryl Mattox Berry
Who needs the “Fearless Girl” statue on Wall Street to show that women are courageous? I don’t. We saw millions of fierce women at the Women’s March on Washington and around the world the day after Donald J. Trump’s inauguration.
The 4-foot, 250-pound bronze girl, who is facing down a charging bull that is a permanent fixture in New York City’s Financial District, is just another marketing and entertainment gimmick. She’s cute, but we don’t need her to be the face of the movement.
Erected by State Street Global Advisors March 7 on the eve of International Women’s Day, the “Fearless Girl” statue was supposed to be a temporary display that encouraged corporations to put more women on their boards.
It has since become a tourist attraction and internet sensation. Visitors take pictures next to the statue posed just like the pony-tailed girl in a windblown dress or snap shots of her with pussy hats or “Make America Great Again” caps.
The “Fearless Girl” statue trivializes our mission. Advocating for women’s rights in this political climate is not child’s play, which begs the question why a girl was used instead of a woman.
I wish they had sent “Fearless Girl” home Sunday, the day she was supposed to be moved to a permanent location. However, NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio liked her so much that she will stay put until International Women’s Day on March 8, 2018.
De Blasio said the girl “spoke to the moment, that sense that woman were not going to live in fear, that women were going to teach their daughters and all the girls in their life to believe in themselves.”
Isn’t that what former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton did when she ran for president? She’s a real inspiration. We’ve got her and other women and don’t need a fake symbol.
More Art in Public Places
When my flight from Atlanta to Miami was delayed for four hours, I roamed the terminals at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to entertain myself. I dined on low-country delicacies, shopped at tony boutiques, read newspapers and magazines, ate a slice of decadent chocolate cake and went to the lower level for a fitness walk after all that eating.
I stumbled across an interesting permanent exhibit on Zimbabwe stone sculpture between Concourses T and A. The sculptures were flanked by pictures of life in Zimbabwe on the walls. It felt like I had walked into an art museum between moving sidewalks.
The exhibit features 20 works of contemporary stone sculpture – some more than five feet tall – from Zimbabwe’s first and second generation sculptors. One piece depicts children playing leap frog. My favorite was three women – each with a different facial expression – engaged in conversation.
Airportart is a program of the City of Atlanta Depatment of Aviation. In many airports around the country, you’ll find an art exhibit or photo display. Look for one the next time you’re stuck at the airport. It’s great way to kill time.