Misunderstanding

The controversy regarding the Charging Bull and Fearless Girl statues is primarily a result of misunderstandings between different groups of people. While advocates for Charging Bull view the bull as a celebration of the strength of the American economy, feminists may view the statue as a symbol for the “lack of women on corporate boards” and “unimaginative sexis[m].” In the end of the day, the conflict over the statues can be seen as a confirmation of the difficulties in acknowledging and accepting other viewpoints.

Feminists probably see the Charging Bull as an exhibition of masculine dominance primarily because the statue depicts a bull, a male animal. However, many fail to realize that Di Modica could have easily chosen to install a fierce animal other than the bull to celebrate American economic strength - perhaps an eagle or a horse. Would Visbal and other people have interpreted the statue to symbolize masculine dominance if the statue was of an animal that could be either gender? Probably not.

Essentially, I feel that Fearless Girl’s purpose to attack male-dominated Wall Street is largely unwarranted. Many prestigious universities have made deliberate efforts to increase female enrollment. For example, Harvard, MIT, Yale, and other universities all have over 40% female enrollment in their business schools. It will take time for these changes in universities to transfer to the workplace.

I also feel that attacking Wall Street for their lack of female employees is counterproductive, simply generating antagonism. The goal should be to promote cooperation between people of all backgrounds. Although it might have generated less attention from the media, perhaps a statue of men and women standing on equal terms in the vicinity of Wall Street would have been a more apt portrayal of the gender equality that society hopes to achieve.