Bravely staring down the financial district’s ‘Charging Bull,’ many women have found the popular ‘Fearless Girl’ statue’ on Wall Street a source of inspiration in the ongoing fight for gender equality. But this week, the conversation changed drastically as a new statue, called ‘Devil’s Advocate Boy,’ unexpectedly sprang up next to her.
The bronze statue, which sort of aggressively came out of nowhere, features a young boy with his hands on his hips, shoulders slightly shrugged and head cocked to the side, as if saying, “Now, don’t get me wrong—“, “Not that I personally think that, but…“ or perhaps “I’m just saying!”
It appears his sole purpose is to explain the opposing side of arguments to ‘Fearless Girl,’ even though no one asked him.
‘Devil’s Advocate Boy’ is approximately 50 inches tall, exactly the same height as ‘Fearless Girl.’ However, he weighs about five pounds more, most likely an artist’s nod to the heavy burden of being right all the time. The plaque at his feet reads, “American women have access to the greatest opportunities in the world, in case you didn’t know. What? Not everyone knows that.”
State Street Global Advisors commissioned ‘Fearless Girl’ to raise awareness of gender inequality in corporate leadership. While the origin of ‘Devil’s Advocate Boy’ is unknown, his proximity to the girl doesn’t seem a coincidence. Should he need to interrupt Fearless Girl right away, it will undoubtedly give him an advantage.
Tourists have traveled around the world to get a selfie with the pint-sized contrarian.
“I think this little guy is exactly what we all need right now,” said one bearded man wearing a faded Superman shirt. “After all, women make the choice to earn less than men when they jump off the fast track or scale back careers to become mothers. That’s just a fact, so don’t get mad at me for sharing. Jesus.”
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio recently called ‘Fearless Girl’ a symbol of “standing up to power.” He then gestured to ‘Devil’s Advocate Boy,’ calling him a symbol of “standing up for moral ambiguity, false equivalencies, and being able to find the fortitude to gaslight people into thinking you actually have a point. Important stuff.”
Although it’s unclear what message ‘Devil’s Advocate Boy’ sends to the original ‘Charging Bull,’ rumors are circulating that the team behind his creation are planning to move the statue right by the bull’s side in the near future, because they really need to stick together if they want anyone to listen to their point of view.
