When I Became Part of the Narrative

Passerbys taking a picture with the newly installed Fearless Girl Statue on March 12, 2017. 

The first time I saw the Fearless Girl was back when everyone thought she would be taken down by April. As if the whole world was talking about her, I could not stop seeing images of this statue across every social media platform I frequented. Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, this statue was everywhere, it was impossible for me to ignore her presence in my life. Finally, after seeing after having scrolled through countless posts about the Fearless Girl on Instagram, I stopped and read an article to figure out what this girl is about. I was enamored with her story and what the media claims she represents and knew I need to see this statue before she was removed.

Within the week of her being placed at Bowling Green, I visited the statue, excited to be part of its narrative at such a pivotal point in America’s history.

The harsh winds were smacking my face the further downtown I walked. I never dress appropriately when it comes to dressing for the winter weather so it’s no surprise that I was rushing to Bowling Green in hopes of making it to a warmer place sooner. As I approached the statue in the midst of a frigid winter day I noticed that there weren’t many people taking pictures with the Charging Bull. As a native New Yorker, you know that something is wrong when you don’t see a hoard of tourists taking pictures with the renowned Bull. But in this case, nothing was wrong, in fact, everything was as alright as it could be, considering the political climate that this was all occurring during.

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. 

When the crowd dissipated, I went up to the girl and felt an instant connection. This was the first time I saw myself represented accurately in the media. A young girl standing up for what she believes in with her unwavering look of determination, and of course, fearlessness.