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New York's Fearless Girl moved to new home outside Stock Exchange

Fearless Girl in her new location - reuters
Fearless Girl in her new location - reuters

The statue of a young girl squaring off against the Charging Bull of Wall Street has been moved to a new home opposite the New York Stock Exchange.

Fearless Girl appeared in the city’s financial district last year on International Women’s Day in March to much fanfare and became an instant hit, attracting visitors to the southern tip of Manhattan.

The statue, commissioned by State Street Global Advisors (SSGA) and created by artist Kristen Visbal, was only meant to be temporary, but remained after it becoming increasingly popular. Such was the attention it attracted, New York authorities deemed its position on an island between two roads unsafe. It will now be a permanent fixture on the pedestrianised section a few blocks north.

Bronze and standing just four feet tall, the statue was created to highlight the dearth of women in the boardrooms of top financial firms, and draw attention to “the power of women in leadership”.

"We are welcoming her with open arms," Betty Liu, executive vice chairwoman of the New York Stock Exchange, which appointed its first female president in May, said.

The statue original faced the Wall Street Bull - Credit: Getty
The statue originally faced the Wall Street Bull Credit: Getty

"We see [in her] our daughters, mothers, nieces. She represents potential, progress and hope, but also all the women who have fought for equality before us."

Democrat congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, who attended Monday's unveiling ceremony, told the BBC: "She says in one image all that advocates can say in pages and pages of arguments and statistics."

Fearless Girl's old adversary, Charging Bull, was also intended to be a temporary installation on Bowling Green but was made permanent due to its popularity.

Fearless Girl appeared to have made herself at home outside the Stock Exchange quickly, with tourists posing for photos with her shortly after the unveilling. 

Months after Fearless Girl's original installation, SSGA, which commissioned the statue, was at the centre of a row over gender inequality, which it denied, and paid $5m (£3.9m) to settle a disagreement over equal pay.  

The New York Stock Exchange is the world’s largest and home to billions of dollars of trading every day.