Mary Wollstonecraft memorial statue provokes mixed reaction

[danny la rouge]

I have absolutely no idea what that means, I'm afraid.

It’s from Spinal Tap. A film which nearly 40 years ago mocked people who didn’t know the difference between sexy and sexist.

 

[killer b]

Try it with sound.

 

[DaveCinzano]

I have absolutely no idea what that means, I'm afraid.

The moment you have to be schooled on popular culture by Danny is probably a sign you need to double up on the old cod liver oil capsules

 

[two sheds]

Could be worse, could be schooled on popular culture by me

 

[DaveCinzano]

Could be worse, could be schooled on popular culture by me

Don't do yourself down, some of your Profumo gags still storm it

 

[Wilf]

Don't do yourself down, some of your Profumo gags still storm it

How many osteopaths does it take to change a lightbulb...

 

[danny la rouge]

The moment you have to be schooled on popular culture by Danny is probably a sign you need to double up on the old cod liver oil capsules

Come on. It’s only nowadays pop culture I can’t do!

 

[scifisam]

Which statue is best? Naked woman or nearly naked woman?

Italy: bronze statue of scantily dressed woman sparks sexism row

Sculpture based on the poem The Gleaner of Sapri was unveiled by former PM Giuseppe Conte on Saturday

www.theguardian.com

The artist said it was “useless” to try to explain artwork to those “who absolutely only want to see depravity”. Antonio Gentile, the mayor of Sapri, said that until the row erupted “nobody had criticised or distorted the work of art”.

Not really comparable. People don't like that statue because of prudery. It's not prudery that makes me and most people dislike the Wollstone craft piece of melted crap that has nothing to do with the writer in the tiniest bit.

 

[ska invita]

Not really comparable. People don't like that statue because of prudery. It's not prudery that makes me and most people dislike the Wollstone craft piece of melted crap that has nothing to do with the writer in the tiniest bit.

i dont think its prudery, its more inappropriateness / context / bad taste etc

 

[TopCat]

It’s a good debate.

 

[Gromit]

Which statue is best? Naked woman or nearly naked woman?

Italy: bronze statue of scantily dressed woman sparks sexism row

Sculpture based on the poem The Gleaner of Sapri was unveiled by former PM Giuseppe Conte on Saturday

www.theguardian.com

The artist said it was “useless” to try to explain artwork to those “who absolutely only want to see depravity”. Antonio Gentile, the mayor of Sapri, said that until the row erupted “nobody had criticised or distorted the work of art”.

I like that statue. I think its a fabulous piece of art.

Its not appropriate for what its commemorating though.

In the same way that:

Eh Sexy Lady
Oppan Gangnam style
Eh Sexy Lady
Eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh

Wouldn't be an appropriate national anthem for Korea. Great song. Not appropriate.

 

[killer b]

People don't like that statue because of prudery.

This isn't true - objecting to how the only way women are depicted in art is as a sexualised object of desire isn't prudery.

 

[scifisam]

This isn't true - objecting to how the only way women are depicted in art is as a sexualised object of desire isn't prudery.

Do you have any idea how fucking patronising that is? Of course it isn't, but I wasn't saying that it was!

 

[Pickman's model]

Do you have any idea how fucking patronising that is? Of course it isn't, but I wasn't saying that it was!

so when you say

People don't like that statue because of prudery.

you don't in fact mean that people don't like that statue because of prudery. Right you are.

 

[killer b]

Do you have any idea how fucking patronising that is? Of course it isn't, but I wasn't saying that it was!

What did you mean then? The criticisms of the statue (that you called prudery) were quoted in the article as:

Laura Boldrini, a deputy with the centre-left Democratic party, said the statue was an “offence to women and the history it should celebrate”. She wrote on Twitter: “But how can even the institutions accept the representation of a woman as a sexualised body?”

A group of female politicians from the Democratic party’s unit in Palermo called for the statue to be knocked down. “Once again, we have to suffer the humiliation of seeing ourselves represented in the form of a sexualised body, devoid of soul and without any connection with the social and political issues of the story,” the group said in a statement.

 

[platinumsage]

One to keep an eye on:

‘Perfect spot’: statue of fossil hunter Mary Anning nears unveiling

Campaigners led by schoolgirl get permission to site sculpture of palaeontologist on Dorset coast after four-year battle

www.theguardian.com

Note the period-appropriate attire and person-like appearance. No doubt this will be an unacceptable pastiche to some people who would prefer an unconstrained modern interpretation of what it means to be an early nineteenth-century fossil-hunting woman.

 

[Sue]

One to keep an eye on:

‘Perfect spot’: statue of fossil hunter Mary Anning nears unveiling

Campaigners led by schoolgirl get permission to site sculpture of palaeontologist on Dorset coast after four-year battle

www.theguardian.com

Note the period-appropriate attire and person-like appearance. No doubt this will be an unacceptable pastiche to some people who would prefer an unconstrained modern interpretation of what it means to be an early nineteenth-century fossil-hunting woman.

I wasn't aware there was a connection between Mary Anning and Mary Wollstonecraft..?

 

[platinumsage]

I wasn't aware there was a connection between Mary Anning and Mary Wollstonecraft..?

This just seemed the most appropriate thread for potential statue outrage, as it contains much discussion of what a statue of a woman should or shouldn’t be like.

 

[Diamond]

I live just down the road from this and cycle past it pretty much every day on my morning ride. It's a lovely piece of work - just a pity it's so small!

 

[Sue]

This just seemed the most appropriate thread for potential statue outrage, as it contains much discussion of what a statue of a woman should or shouldn’t be like.

The debate over the Mary Anning statue seems to be over where it's positioned rather than the statue itself though.

 

[Pickman's model]

I wasn't aware there was a connection between Mary Anning and Mary Wollstonecraft..?

they're both dead women named mary

 

[platinumsage]

The debate over the Mary Anning statue seems to be over where it's positioned rather than the statue itself though.

Yes because it hasn't been unveiled yet.