Fearless Girl vs. Charging Bull By Jessica Lau On March 7, 2017, a new statue of a young girl stood staring down Wall Street’s famous Charging Bull. This tenacious statue was constructed by the major asset managing firm named State Street Global Advisors. The girl is sculpted in bronze, her hands firmly planted on her waist, ponytailed head held high. The Boston-based investment company pushed to land this statue to make a point: “There’s a dearth of women on the boards of the largest U.S. corporations”. This company is pressing the notion to increase the number of women directors in companies. A plaque reading “Know the power of women in leadership. SHE makes a difference”, lies at the statue’s feet. State Street’s deputy global chief investment officer, Lori Heinel made a stamen with Bloomberg saying “as a steward of nearly $2.5 trillion of assets, we want to engage with boards and management around issues that we think will drive core results…and what you find repeatedly is having more diverse boards and more diverse senior management will actually drive better results for companies.” According to Bloomberg about 25% of the Russell 3000—a broad index of U.S. companies—have no women on their boards. The placement of this statue has prompted discussion around the world. This placement was a temporary installment in New York but has been petitioned by thousands demanding it remain permanently. Called, “Fearless Girl” and created by American artist Kristen Visbal, the bronze girl stands in a place “where corporate America cannot help but notice her” wrote Jill Mavro, head of strategic relations for State Street. The statue’s alleged purpose is plainly evident in the figure’s demeanor. It is an outright cry to address the perception that there are just not enough women among the ranks of Fortune 500 boards. It immediately drew crowds of onlookers and has quickly become one of Wall Street’s must-see attractions. “Fearless Girl” is not a provocative art challenging customs, but an accustomed expression of unity. The statue has instigated conversation and criticism but continues to stand enticing women to enter corporate life. The infamous Charging Bull was a sight to set this statue because it “needed to have a partner, and a partner that we thought was worthy of him…so we got a very determined young woman who is fearless and is willing to drive the change that we 78 believe we need” stated impeccably by Heinel. The iconic Charging Bull on Wall Street may have met his match, and it’s a bronze model of a girl in a billowing dress, already instigating conversation everywhere. 79 .