Fearless Girl Becomes Fearful Girl in Wake of America’s School Shootings

The Fearless Girl, the defiant statue who famously subverted Wall Street’s Charging Bull has herself been the subject of a thought-provoking piece of guerrilla art.

In New York today, Fearless Girl became Fearful Girl thanks to the addition of a bullet proof vest. The stunt was devised to draw attention to the mass shootings happening in America’s school – and its timing coincides with the upcoming Midterm Elections.

The addition of the bulletproof vest was thanks to Change The Ref (CTR), an organisation that uses urban art to bring to life the effects of America’s gun laws and to explore the relationship between lawmakers and the National Rifle Association (NRA). 

CTR was founded by Manuel and Patricia Oliver, whose son Joaquin was one of the 17 victims of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on February 14th, 2018.  The organisation hopes to support the wave of activism among young people pushing to hold politicians to account.

Fearless Girl was installed on International Women’s Day in 2017 by McCann New York on behalf of their client State Street Global Advisors. The bronze sculpture was created by artist Kristen Visbal to depict female strength. But this new adaptation highlights the vulnerability of children in a country where there are, on average, ten school shootings a year. 

A photo of the newly-minted Fearful Girl was shared on Twitter with the phrase “She can’t be fearless if she’s afraid to go to school.”