Reflection

A monument is often associated with the idea of a structure being constructed and erected to memorialize a person or event of great notability. A monument is often placed intentionally to serve as a figure of remembrance for an event. However, this was not completely the case for the Fearless Girl statue. For this monument in particular, the Fearless Girl was placed to help create and strengthen a narrative that hasn’t been illustrated fully in the eyes of society.

Being that the statue was created and placed out in public at the beginning of 2017 represents a time where the United States was still at a loss for its identity, being the fact that Donald Trump, a man who to this day raises controversy amongst the American people, became president of the country. The first time I saw the Fearless Girl was back when everyone thought she would be taken down within a week of her initial installation. I visited the Fearless Girl five days after she was placed, March 12, 2017, excited to be part of its narrative at such a pivotal point in America’s history. The wind was smacking my face as I approached the statue in the midst of a frigid winter day. I watched as people stood next to the Fearless Girl in her signature power stance, joining her in challenging the Charging Bull. From little girls to older men, everyone was joining the girl. They joined her because they knew what she represents, they knew that she was leading us into a new era of equality.

The Fearless Girl statue is a representation of America, of the corporate world, of politics, of women’s involvement and contribution to society. The statue represents all of these things and more, and the only reason why it is able to embody all these different aspects of life and society is because of when, where, and how it was placed into society’s ongoing narrative. Without the inauguration of President Trump and the world-wide women’s marches, and placing the statue in front of a now menacing bull, the statue would just be one of a girl. In order to understand the Fearless Girl and the narrative it holds, I decided to look more into the journey she has had since 2017.

When first deciding to look into the Fearless Girl statue, I just thought it would be a cool and interesting topic that would allow others to learn about a narrative that I was a part of. However, as I began to fall into the rabbit hole that was Google, Twitter, and Youtube, I realized that this task was not just about sharing a narrative, I was sharing a life. What I once thought was just a static statue, turned out to be an ever-changing and fluid embodiment of change, hope, and determination. Throughout this research, I spoke with women around the world who wanted to  share their perspectives and connections with the Fearless Girl and what it meant to them. I spoke with conservatives and liberals, people from New York City and people from Australia, I witnessed tourists take the time out of their limited vacation to visit the statue and take a picture. As revolutionary as I would like to think this is, I know it isn’t. There have been times where people have felt empowered before, whether from a women’s march, a role model, or another inanimate object. What is being done now, has been done before, or that’s what Paul Miller, also known as DJ Spooky, would argue at least.

Paul Miller writes in his book Rhythm Science that when we speak, our thoughts may not be our original thoughts. We may think that what we say is uniquely our own, however there is a possibility of this being false. Within all of the centuries of humanity having existed and being able to communicate with one another, there is enough opportunity for thoughts to be repeated throughout time. This brings into play another question that Miller poses for his audience which is “Is it live? Or is it a sample?” With these two questions, Miller implies that just as a disc jockey is able to retrieve different clips and sound bytes from music and alter it to craft a new genre or sound. The same applies to a writer, in that they are able to pick and choose different areas of life to aid in the creation and alteration of the piece they are attempting to produce. If you are able to take samples from different areas of life such as art and politics, the result is a new form of expression and story-telling. With the advancements of technology, new forms of expression and storytelling are being created continuously.

Today with the assistance of technology, writers have the opportunity to shape how literature is crafted and alter what literature, writing, and reading once was. Now a writer has the ability to stay in once place and have access to a world of knowledge and many forms that this knowledge is presented in. For example, I was able to conduct most of my research just from sitting at a desk and searching the internet for resources that included books that were turned digital. Occasionally, there were times where my research required me to get up and go to the library or to visit the physical Fearless Girl statue, but for the most part, I stayed in the comfort of my home. Being able to do this is a great opportunity and privilege because the advancement of technology allows the art form of storytelling to be easily accessible for the common person. The sole reason why I was able to conduct interviews with people from around the world is directly due to the access I have to technology. The way that I was able to present this information that I gathered was also due to technology and tools such as Omeka and WordPress.

By using applications such as Omeka and WordPress, I had the opportunity to present my findings in a more fluid manner. Although Omeka, is a tool that I will plan to use in the future, I believe there are many improvements that could be made. Despite the opportunity to present information in a dynamic setting, Omeka still has some aspects that could be improved that would result in a more user-friendly experience. For example, Omeka has a set of steps and limited resources that are for the purpose of creating an exhibit. The inability to alter these resources to fit the needs and desires of the user invalidates the sole purpose of this project, which was to create. Nonetheless, Omeka is a useful tool that I know will aid in the expression and presentation of a variety of topics that will allow others to have the opportunity to explore new topics, such as the journey of the Fearless Girl statue, through a new lense.

Through this project, I gained a new appreciation for art. The art of storytelling and how that has progressed, from being visual, to oral, to written and now digital, over the centuries. The art of sculpting and how specific and intentional a person can be when crafting an object, person or place into the form of metals, stone, wood and more. The art behind music, and the impact the melodies, lyrics, and instrumentals can have on others, no matter if it is just one person or an entire choir. I’ve gained an appreciation for the different disciplines that work behind the scenes to aid in society’s collective story that fuels future generations to learn from what is currently occurring and having the opportunity to build upon the mistakes and triumphs that are being made now. Through all of this, I have gained new experiences that I will not only apply to my personal day to day life, but experiences that I will share with my students to aid in their own story-telling that will help contribute to the narrative that is simply our story.