Politics

A Man Humped a Statue Meant to Empower Women, Proving We Still Have a Long Way to Go

March 11th 2017

When sculptor Kristen Visbal recently spoke about her Fearless Girl statue that, for now, stares down the iconic Charging Bull statue in the heart of Wall Street, she said it “reminds us today’s working woman is here to stay and has taken her place in the nation’s financial district.” It was not meant to be sexualized fodder for some sleazy man. And yet here we are today.

A photo captured by architectural designer Alexis Kaloyanides is going viral showing a suited young man allegedly humping the statue of the young child while his friends laugh off camera. Although he was only there briefly, Kaloyanides said he ruined the mood with his lewd act.

“There were people there talking about empowering children and women and for then to have this 20-something showing his entitlement, defiling the statute… it was utterly revolting,” she said in an interview with Insider Edition.

Fearless Girl was set across from Charging Bull by State Street Global Advisers, and meant to show that the corporate world needs more women in it, with the plaque at her feet reading: "Know the power of women in leadership. SHE makes a difference."

It's a much needed reminder. The reality is that the number of women in senior roles is still low; State Street's own board is only 27 percent female and as ATTN: has reported on in the past, female leadership in the U.S. is small, compared to other countries. According to Business Insider, the financial sector is particularly homogenous: more than two thirds of U.S. executives at Goldman Sachs, Wells Fargo, JPMorgan, Bank of America, Citigroup, and Morgan Stanley are male and more than 80 percent are white.

Perhaps Fearless Girl can inspire more diverse hiring decisions, not only on Wall Street, but in other industries as well.

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