Stop the sexualization of statues 

For centuries, statues have been crafted to honor historical figures and monumental moments in literature, music and culture. However, it has become hard to ignore the blatant groping and sexualization of statues that has been occurring worldwide. These pillars of remarkable people and moments have been turned into metaphors for our society, proof of how we continue to ignore the sexual harassment occurring before our very eyes. The memorialization of these people’s actions is genuinely rubbed away by tourists and visitors, with every touch turning the statue more brassy. Prime examples are the statues of Molly Malone, Victor Noir and Juliet from William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.” 

Jeanne Rynhart built the Molly Malone statue inspired by the traditional Irish song and unofficial anthem of Dublin, “Cockles and Mussels.” The statue was unveiled on Grafton Street in 1988 by Ben Briscoe, then Lord Mayor of Dublin. According to The Irish Times, the tourist tradition of rubbing the statue’s breasts for good luck started sometime before 2014, but in recent times, many locals have become fed up. While speaking to the Washington Post in March of this year, one protestor, Tilly Cripwell, stated, “I just got more and more frustrated with the way Molly Malone — who is a national treasure and a national icon — was being disrespected.” Cripwell has written her rendition of “Cockles and Mussels,” which she performs while busking next to the statue, adding the line, “Now no one can save her from the people who claim her, and I want to scream, ‘Just leave Molly alone!'”  

The statue commemorating Juliet from William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” in Verona, Italy, was sculpted by the artist Nereo Costantini in 1969. Due to the groping of Juliet’s breasts by tourists, there were holes made in the metal, so a replica was erected in 2014. The groping of her breasts was not a coincidence; it comes from local legend, which states that if you rub her breast, you will receive good luck or meet your soulmate. The local legend dates back from when the statue was first installed, but no one quite knows who started it and why. Nereo Costantini’s sculpture was made to memorialize the timeless play and the 13-year-old heroine herself. While the legend says that touching her breast will bring you luck in finding your soulmate, it is hard to fathom why anyone would be so desperate as to touch the breast of a statue that symbolizes a 13-year-old. Some may come to the defense and state that it is just a sculpture and does not matter, but in actuality, this statue is a depiction of an innocent young woman who has somehow become fetishized. 

The statue of Victor Noir was not built to be a public landmark; instead, it was made for his tomb. Victor Noir was a French journalist who died in 1870 at the hands of Prince Pierre Napoleon Bonaparte during a duel. Victor Noir’s death opened up the floodgates for the revival of republican and radical agitation. After the funeral, sculptor Jules Dalou was entrusted with crafting a sculpture to mark his grave. Dalou chose the creative route of mimicking the scene of the duel. Every aspect of the sculpture was heavily detailed, from how he was positioned on the ground to the creasing of his shoes. Yet, visitors of Noir’s grave weren’t interested in those details; they were instead eyeing the slight bulge near his crotch. Visitors turned him into a symbol of sex and fertility, spreading the legend that by kissing his lips and caressing his crotch, you will soon become pregnant. While some may not have access to a fertility doctor or some other kind of aid, groping the grave of a man who was murdered is the last thing one should do. A person’s grave is meant to be a place where people can gather and honor the person’s memory, and this legend does everything besides honoring him. 

It’s nothing new to hear about how prevalent sexual harassment is, yet we still see it occurring and we choose to ignore what is happening. Even though the rise of the #MeToo movement back in 2018 finally allowed people to come forward and speak out against what they had endured, we aren’t seeing a decline in cases. It feels as if we are allowed to mention what happens or has happened, but no one is interested in making a real change. What’s occurring with these statues is a prime example of how we are letting sexual harassment become normalized. However, what’s even worse is that children are being brought to these landmarks and are watching what’s happening. We’re single-handedly raising children to believe that it’s okay, and as a result, we are continuing to make the world an unsafe place for future generations. Sexual harassment is not just an issue facing women. According to a study done at the Newcomb Institute at Tulane University which compared sexual harassment statistics from 2018 to current statistics in 2024. The study found that in 2018, 81% of women and 43% of men had experienced sexual harassment or assault in their lifetime; in comparison, in 2024, 82% of women and 42% of men have experienced sexual harassment or assault in their lifetime. These numbers show that we’re all facing the consistent and unwavering threat of sexual harassment. As college students this should be an even bigger concern. According to RAINN, males (ages 18-24) are 78% more likely to be the victim of rape of sexual assault than other men who are non-college aged, and women (ages 18-24) are 3x more likely to be the victim of rape or sexual assault than other women who are non-college aged. It needs to be a top priority as a collective to ensure that we do not allow sexual assault/harassment to normalized, and that we end it before it worsens and continues onto the next generation.