âFearless Girlâ might be here to stay.
Public Advocate Letitia James is calling for the inspiring statueâ which depicts a young girl standing up to the charging bull thatâs long been a symbol of Wall Streetâ to continue standing her ground as a permanent installation.
The artwork, placed there by State Street Corporation, was originally granted a weeklong permit that has now been extended to a month.
But James said that given the âhuge gender gapâ on corporate boardsâ she cited data showing nearly 60 percent of publicly traded companies have no women on their boardsâ the city should keep the little girl for the long haul, as a âsymbol of feminism and equality.â
My two cents on Wall Streetâs âFearless Girlâ statue
âFearless Girl stands as a powerful beacon, showing women â young and oldâ that no dream is too big and no ceiling is too high,â James wrote in a letter to Mayor de Blasio Monday.
For now, âFearless Girlâ is slated to remain where she stands until April 2, and de Blasio spokeswoman Olivia Lapeyrolerie said there were no plans to extend the statueâs permit. State Street said the statueâs long-term future hadnât yet been determined.
âWe are having ongoing conversations with the City of New York to determine the future of the statue," Anne McNally said.
![NYC PAPERS OUT. Social media use restricted to low res file max 184 x 128 pixels and 72 dpi](http://web.archive.org./web/20170606015602im_/http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.2996619.1489425847!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/article_750/fares.jpg)
Public Advocate Letitia James thinks the artwork should become a permanent installation.
(Jefferson Siegel/New York Daily News)But the brave girl was getting plenty of support from the people who had flocked to her side, with a crowd of about 100 people mobbing the plaza despite the cold late-afternoon weather. Tatiana Betances, 24, a paralegal from Queens, stood in a similar pose beside the sculpture to have her picture taken as they both stared down the bull.
Photo of Wall Street creep humping feminist statue goes viral
âWeâre going through so much right now in this country. Look how much love sheâs getting,â Betances said. âSheâs not just standing there, sheâs making a statement. Sheâs making a move for all of us, especially in front of the Wall Street bull. Sheâs fearless and inspiring.â
And fans of the âFearless Girlâ were hoping she wouldnât have to back down anytime soon.
![âFearless Girlâ has been quite a hit among tourists and New Yorkers.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170606015602im_/http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.2996617.1489425844!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/article_750/aptopix-fearless-girl-wall-street.jpg)
âFearless Girlâ has been quite a hit among tourists and New Yorkers.
(Mark Lennihan/AP)âIt should be permanent. Itâs about womenâs leadership and the lack of it in the financial world,â said Kate Kearney, 42, a Bay Shore, Long Island resident who works in leadership training. âI have two daughters. Having a young girl standing up to the big bull of Wall Street is awesome. It says, âHey girls, you can be anything.ââ
âShe wonât be bullied by the Wall Street bull,â Mehalia Wallace, 24, a teaching assistant from Brooklyn, said. âSheâs a fearless little girl. Sheâs a small inspiration to all of us.â
Charging Bull has new company in bronze statue of a young girl
Women and girls werenât alone in rooting for the statue. Torin Williams, 49, argued she was more than just a fad.
âShe needs to be permanent,â the Manhattan stagehand said. âLook at what she means to all these people. The bullâs been important forever, but sheâs more than just the hot item right now. She shows how important women are in society.â
While many visitors have paid their respects to the statue, this weekend a man in a suit was photographed humping the artworkâ raising the ire of many in the city, include de Blasio, who deemed the slimy behavior an example of ârape culture.â
With Kerry Burke
Send a Letter to the Editor