Fearless Girl was commissioned to advertise for an index fund that comprises gender-diverse companies that have a relatively high percentage of women among their senior leadership. A plaque originally placed below the statue stated: "Know the power of women in leadership. SHE makes a difference," with "SHE" being both a descriptive pronoun and the fund's NASDAQ ticker symbol.
The statue was first installed at the northern tip of Bowling Green on Broadway, facing down the Charging Bull statue. Following complaints from that statue's sculptor, Arturo Di Modica, it was removed in November 2018 and relocated to its current location the following month. A plaque with footprints was placed on the original site of Fearless Girl.
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People in the United States marked International Women’s Day in different ways.
Some went on strike and stayed home from work. Others wore the color red.
One investment group in New York City, however, celebrated in a different way. It put up a symbolic statue on Wall Street, the city’s financial center.
The statue is of a small, young girl. She is standing in a strong, confident, and defiant way. Her hands are on her hips. And, she is standing just across from a huge and well-known statue of a bull.
The work of art is called “The Fearless Girl.”
The group State Street Global Advisors put up the statue. Anne McNally is with the group. She told Reuters news agency that “The Fearless Girl” helps bring attention to the small number of women in high positions on Wall Street, as well as the lower wages that women working in finance receive. The group wants that to change, she says.
“A lot of people talk about gender diversity, but we really felt we had to take it to a broader level,” she said.
Under the new statue are the words, “Know the power of women in leadership. She makes a difference.”
Artist Kristen Visbal created “The Fearless Girl.” It was put up very early Tuesday. Many people were surprised to see it the next morning.
