‘Fearless Girl’ Statue Desecrated By Statue Of Peeing Dog, Outrage Ensues
The Fearless Girl statue is nothing if not a symbol of feminism, a big middle finger to the establishment, and a physical representation of the defiance that lives in all of us.
But the Fearless Girl statue is not without controversy, and from the minute she went up, she’s inspired a rash of detractors and critics. The latest critic is an artist who put up a statue of a dog peeing on the young girl, sparking yet another round of outrage.
According to the New York Post, the artist in question is Alex Gardega, who is really, really upset about the fact that the Fearless Girl statue is standing in front of the Wall Street bull.
He got so enraged, in fact, that he decided to create a statue of a dog peeing on the Fearless Girl‘s leg, which he called the “Pissing Pug,” because that’s clearly the mature way of handling things.
“This is corporate nonsense,” Gardega told The Post about “Fearless Girl,” saying it was put opposite artist Arturo Di Modica’s famed bull as a publicity stunt by a Boston-based financial firm. “It has nothing to do with feminism, and it is disrespect to the artist that made the bull. That bull had integrity.”
Naturally, according to the BBC, the move inspired outrage.
The sole good news, however, is that this peeing dog installation is only a temporary one that’s been placed next to the Fearless Girl.
In fact, Gardena said that he took out the installation three hours after he put it down because not only did he not want the dog to be stolen, but he didn’t have permission to have the statue there in the first place.
That didn’t stop people on Twitter from speaking out, though.
People like that Fearless Girl statue now but I feel like they’ll probably get rid of her as soon as she gets her period
— Mara Wilson (@MaraWilson) May 30, 2017
I can’t think of a better metaphor for male fragility than a tiny little dog attempting to piss near a fearless girl https://t.co/ADnZUEOtsp
— Another Angry Woman (@stavvers) May 30, 2017
Alex Gardena is every white guy who can’t stand that he has to compete with women and PoC in America. What a loser! https://t.co/fwzAimevO4
— Amy Siskind (@Amy_Siskind) May 30, 2017
But the most important thing to remember about this latest Fearless Girl controversy is that this isn’t the first time that this has happened.
According to NBC News, this is only the latest in a number of attacks on the statue.
Despite this, however, Gardega said that he meant to show off that he has a good sense of humor, and that he doesn’t have anything against the Fearless Girl statue in the first place.
“Gardega also said that there’s nothing inherently wrong with the “Fearless Girl,” and he created “Sketchy Dog” with a sense of humor, but he said neither piece should interfere with Di Modica’s work. “I’m a pretty happy person, not seething or angry and certainly not anti-feminist. My piece is not without a sense of humor but I do feel for Arturo and the integrity of his art,” Gardega said. “There is plenty of room for ‘Fearless Girl.’ It just interferes with another artist’s work/vision.”
Perhaps, then, he meant to simply try to get attention as an artist. After all, there’s no such thing as bad publicity.
What do you think of this latest controversy surrounding Fearless Girl? Are you a fan of the statue? Leave your thoughts about Fearless Girl in the comments below.
[Featured Image by Drew Angerer/Getty Images]
