Fearless Girl is a bronze statue located in the Financial District of New York City. The statue depicts a young girl standing confidently with her hands on her hips and her head held high. The Fearless Girl statue was created by artist Kristen Visbal and was installed in March 2017, just in time for International Women’s Day. She first made her appearance in 2017 directly facing the iconic Charging Bull statue. The statue quickly became a symbol of female empowerment and a rallying cry for gender equality, and has become a fixture in FiDi, even though she was supposed to be on display for just a week when she was first installed.
The Fearless Girl Statue was commissioned by State Street Global Advisors as part of a campaign to encourage companies to increase the number of women on their corporate boards. The statue was initially intended to be a temporary installation, but due to its popularity, it has remained in the Financial District ever since, and today stands in front of the New York Stock Exchange.
Fearless Girl standing up to the Charging Bull from 2017 – 2018
Fearless Girl first made an appearance at Bowling Green in New York in 2017. She was commissioned by a Wall Street Hedge/Asset Fund ahead of International Women’s Day, with SHE being a play on their public ticker symbol, and very strategically placed so she was staring down the iconic Charging Bull.
Fearless Girl’s location facing the Charging Bull had a lot of symbolism, especially given the male dominance of the Financial Industry . The Charging Bull is a symbol of the strength and resilience of the American economy as much as its masculine and aggressive imagery. Fearless Girl, on the other hand, represents the power and potential of women and girls to make a positive impact on the world.
It was just amazing to see Fearless Girl standing her ground against a bull – charging no less – that is so clearly ahead of her in terms of size and might in person, striking a chord and wrapping all the women that had come down to see this new installation around her little finger. Women were bringing her flowers, and I loved the plaque at her feet which read – Know the Power of Women in Leadership. SHE makes a difference. Now I know that the SHE was a pun for the company that commissioned the Fearless Girl, but I like to think of it as women making a difference, because they clearly do.
I actually went back multiple times to see her opposite the Charging Bull, once even in the snow, and someone had made the effort to clear the snow off the plaque at her feet. And yes, there I am in the picture below, making it two Fearless Girls standing up to the Charging Bull!
Fearless Girl outside New York Stock Exchange from 2018 onwards
Fearless Girl was moved from her original location to across the New York Stock Exchange in December 2018 as it was believed she distracted from the Charging Bull. Oh well. Today, she can be seen standing up to and holding her ground in front of every Bull and Bear of Wall Street right outside NYSE.
She has become a popular photo op, and women can always be seen flocking around the Fearless Girl, and posing alongside her.
The permit for her to stand her ground on the streets of New York keeps getting extended, especially since she was supposed to be on display for just 7 days when she was first unveiled in 2017.
Seeing the Fearless Girl landing on her feet in front of the NYSE has been really fun to experience, especially since she is still continuing to inspire women with her fearlessness.
