M Wollstonecraft: Statues of Women
 

Mary Wollstonecraft was an 18th century writer, usually credited as "the mother of feminism". This rather forgotten figure is in the news today because a monument to her has just been unveiled in a London park:-

https://www.islingtongazette.co.uk/p..._630/image.jpg

https://i0.wp.com/fr.ebeneinfo.com/w...24%2C576&ssl=1

It has sparked a controversy, mainly because of the figurine at the top: as one Brit newspaper describes it, " a naked silver Barbie doll", while another paper gets to the point by reporting, "Because nothing says "honouring the mother of feminism" like a naked sexy lady".

So this statue has opened up a debate about how (and how often) women are memorialised in public places. That's why I thought it might be worth a thread, and a poll. Any comments?

Full CNN story: https://edition.cnn.com/style/articl...cli/index.html

Take out the sarcasm and I totally agree. Only in this current climate of deep rooted idiocy would someone complain that a statue of a woman looks like a woman. I mean, holy ****, quit hiding your puritanical bull**** behind fake liberalism.

I'm with the Guardian on this one: would a man be 'honoured' with his schlong out?

As long as there is no disrespect I see no issue, and making someone look attractive is not necessarily disrespectful of course. I think having a problem with this statue is total exaggeration, although it seems to me like there is some double standard when it comes to nudity in art in modern times (I don't recall ever having seen a penis on a statue which was not from ancient Greece). But as far as I'm concerned that's merely annoying and it means we just need more statues of naked men

Edit: basically what that article above says, but without the rage

David of Michelangelo

Perhaps the most famous statue ever

Yes, actually. Wouldn’t have it any other way.

The body is shameful people need to **** off and quit pretending they’re not puritans.

To me it's very inappropriate:

i) given how modest 18th century women were about their bodies, Mary W would probably be mortified to have a naked Barbie doll stuck on a plinth that has her name on it. I checked up on the Lincoln Memorial statue that Mindlessness was sharing the other day, and yep, Lincoln was accorded the dignity of having his clothes on as he sat in that deep armchair of his.

ii) There's a whole feminist debate about representations of naked women, titilation and the treating of women as sex objects. Even actual Barbie dolls have been criticised for overly representing women as slender caucasians, thus setting up a cruel yardstick in the public imagination that the majority of women can't compete with. This statue is continuing the same un-woke narrative, quite possibly* disrespecting if not contradicting the ideas that Mary W was fighting for.

(* "quite possibly" because I have never read a word of Mary W in my life.)

Yes indeed. It’s shameful she had a body.

I mean seriously WTF? Take Lincoln’s dong out then. You think he didn’t have one?

All mammals are sex objects. That’s how and the only reason we exist, in fact. We’re literally objects that **** to make other objects.

Props to the publicity specialist for this statue/park/whatever.