Two weekends ago, I took a near 5-hour bus ride to New York City from D.C. (where I'm currently interning for the summer). I didn't have a lot of time so I made a few things a priority. I'd been to New York once before - 5 years previous to be exact - and tried to make this trip without any repeats.
A girl looks to her family, smiling, while circling the Fearless Girl and delicately touching parts of her, including her hair.
I planned on going to the 9/11 museum, the Fearless Girl statue, Coney Island, Wicked the musical, B&H Photo Video superstore, and the High Line. After visiting the 9/11 museum and spending a lot longer than I planned (it was needed, let me tell ya), I decided I didn't have enough time to go to Coney Island. The Fearless Girl statue was not far away, and I made that my next destination. It ended up being one of the best decisions I made while in NYC.
A teen girl mimics the pose of the Fearless Girl while getting her picture taken.
When I finally got to meet the Fearless Girl, I was in awe. After I had my picture taken with her, I couldn't leave. I tried, once, but ended up coming back. My main reason: the reactions of the people who came up to her. I decided to photograph the people who visited her and study their responses. I couldn't believe what I was watching.
A pre-teen girl rubs the front of the Fearless Girl's dress in an act of camaraderie.
I knew about the Fearless Girl the minute she was installed on March 7, 2017. She came on the coattails of the January 21st Women's March on Washington and struck up such a media frenzy that it was hard to ignore her installation. I loved what she visually represented. I read opinion piece after opinion piece about her arrival. I also read the opinion pieces about why her debut wasn't so welcomed - how she should've been standing next to the Charging Bull rather than in front of him.
A woman poses on the neck of the Charging Bull for a picture.
A young girl sits on the neck of the Charging Bull while her family takes pictures.
I thought about that opinion article as I saw some young girls and even women climb on top of the Charging Bull. It seemed in tune with the article and made sense. Why should we stare down capitalism, men - anything that represented a "charging bull" when we should be working with it? Why take down what makes this country what it is, when we can join forces? Why not take the bull by the horns?
Then I heard the men talking and the saw boys' interactions with the Fearless Girl.
The first thing I noticed was the boys acting roughly with the statue. One even walked up to her and put his arms around her neck in a fake attempt to strangle her before standing next to her with a smile for a photo. Another hit her chest, covered her eyes and mouth, and tried to climb on her.
A young boy hits the stomach of the Fearless Girl with his fist.
The boy repeatedly covers the Fearless Girl's eyes and mouth and attempts to climb her while his parents take photos.
The boy's parent reaches for him because he wouldn't stop covering the Fearless Girl's eyes and mouth or allow other people to step in for a photo-op with the statue.
A young boy pretends to kiss the Fearless Girl after just pretended to strangle her.
The same boy that pretended to strangle the girl also pretended to give her a kiss on the cheek then stood on her feet for a photo.
Around me, I could hear men trying to describe to other men what the Fearless Girl means. Things like, "It's supposed to be her standing up to men, but it's really an ad from a company that owns stock here," or, "You can see it's popular with the women, but I don't really get the point." What I never heard: women describing it to other women - not even mothers to their daughters. Why? Because the girls got it. The mothers, the sisters, aunts, nieces, granddaughters, daughters - they all understood exactly what she meant without explanation.
They saw the statue and saw themselves facing down whatever it is in their life that's scary or intimidating. They reached out to her, brushed her shoulder, traced their fingers along her dress and hair, posed as she did, wrapped their arms around her - whatever they needed to do to feel close to her and themselves in turn.
Two young women, mimicking the pose of the Fearless Girl, laugh to one another during a photo with the statue between them.
And then it hit me. How can the women of this world run alongside the Charging Bull if we're still having to explain to one another why she's there in the first place? This isn't to say that all men don't know what she represents.
I've had my own plights as a woman. As a photographer, I'm entering a male-dominated field. There's plenty of women who photograph lifestyle: weddings, portraits, families - and that's great - but it's not what I want to do. I want to enter photojournalism, commercial storytelling, editorial freelancing. These are all fields dominated by men. I've met several that were kind to me and wanted to help, but I've also met my fair share of those that have hurt me, degraded me, and have made me question whether I should be a photographer in the first place.
A young girl poses confidently side-by-side with the Fearless Girl.
A young girl traces the face and shoulders of the Fearless Girl and doesn't want to leave when her mom asks her to.
The same young girl looks longingly back to the Fearless Girl after her mom pulled her away.
See, the Fearless Girl represents so much more than staring down a bull. That bull takes the shape of so many things for women everywhere. They see themselves staring down whatever is bigger and stronger in their lives, threatening to mow them down.
I do want to mention that I saw several men that understood her importance and wanted a photo-op with the stoic statue. They were gentle, kind, and also stared longingly at the statue, probably imagining their own struggles. But the observation remains, if we don't know what she's there for, then we shouldn't be advocating for her movement. She's right where she needs to be, inspiring people of all ages (especially girls) to be fearless in the face of a charging bull.
A middle-aged man stands behind the Fearless Girl with his hand on her shoulder. One of the few men that didn't put both hands on her shoulders or wrap his arms around her neck.
An older woman stares strikingly at her photographer while putting her hand inside the Fearless Girl's arm.
A very young girl stares up longingly to the Fearless Girl statue.
A father tries coaxing his daughter away from the statue after her resignation to leave.
A brother and sister pose next to one another and the Fearless Girl. Teaching young boys to respect women - even statues - will progress the movement of equality for both genders.
A young girl braces herself around the Fearless Girl's arms - an act of solidarity with the statue that is about the same height as the girl.
A young girl wraps her arms around the Fearless Girl's shoulders with a wide smile.