Why statue of Mary Wollstonecraft in London is being criticized?

Team Udayavani, Nov 13, 2020, 1:16 PM IST

A sculpture celebrating Mary Wollstonecraft as the mother of feminism attracted criticism even before it was unveiled.

The statue, located in Newington Green, a park in London, was commissioned by a campaign called Mary on the Green. The campaign lasted more than a decade and the statue was created by artist Maggi Hambling.

Wollstonecraft, an English writer and philosopher, was influenced by the stirrings of the French revolution. She published her best-known work, “A Vindication of the Rights of Woman,” in 1792.

According to abcnews, The sculpture was unveiled Tuesday after a decade of campaigning and fundraising, but many critics took to Twitter to question why it had to feature a naked female figure.

Many asked why male intellectuals and historical figures haven’t been celebrated with nude statues. However, Hambling has now defended the statue, saying people have “missed the point” of it.