Wall Street’s ‘Fearless Girl’ Statue No Longer Stands in Front of ‘Charging Bull’

The “Fearless Girl” no longer stands in front of Wall Street’s “Charging Bull,” as the statue was finally removed on Tuesday and is now on its way to the New York Stock Exchange.

For nearly two years, the Fearless Girl stood in protest of the bronze Charging Bull that has represented American perseverance in Manhattan for three decades.

The Fearless Girl had been commissioned by State Street Global Advisors (SSGA) and was installed for International Women’s Day in March 2017, in front of the famous Charging Bull statue in the city’s financial district.

The Charging Bull was created by Italian immigrant Arturo Di Modica, who installed the sculpture after the 1987 stock market crash, as a symbol of the United States’ ability to make a comeback in times of hardship.

The statue represents “the strength and power of the American people,” said Di Modica.

The Italian artist had been critical of SSGA’s statue, understandably, as he noted that its particular placement would cause the public to mistake his piece for a symbol of oppression.

SSGA had the Fearless Girl statue commissioned as an advertisement for its “gender diversity index” fund, which included a plaque that read: “Know the power of women in leadership. SHE makes a difference.”

“SHE” serving as a double entendre for both the NASDAQ ticker and a pronoun.

SSGA announced in April that the statue would eventually be relocated to be closer to the New York Stock Exchange.

According to The Associated Press, “two footsteps” now remain where the girl’s statue once was, along with a plaque that reads: “Fearless Girl is on the move to The New York Stock Exchange. Until she’s there, stand for her.”

Now, passerby’s and tourists can — and are encouraged to — stand in the girl’s place, in what is a strange defiance to Di Modica’s longstanding symbol of American prosperity.

You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Twitter at @ARmastrangelo and on Instagram.