Statue Of A Sleep-Walking Man Is Causing A Stir At Wellesley College Because It Reminds Students Of Sexual Assault... Wait, What?

(Globe) —  A realistic-looking statue of a man sleepwalking in his underwear near the center of Wellesley College has created a stir among the women on campus, especially as more than 100 students at the all-women’s college signed a petition asking administrators to remove it. The statue, called Sleepwalker, is part of an art exhibit featuring sculptor Tony Matelli at the college’s Davis Museum. The exhibit, New Gravity, features sculptures that are often reversed, upended or atomized. However, the statue of the sleepwalker — which is hard to miss in a high-traffic area by both pedestrians and drivers near the campus center — has caused outrage among some students in just one day after its Feb. 3 installation. Zoe Magid, a Wellesley College junior majoring in political science, started a petition on Change.org with other students asking college president H. Kim Bottomly to have the statue removed.
“[T]his highly lifelike sculpture has, within just a few hours of its outdoor installation, become a source of apprehension, fear, and triggering thoughts regarding sexual assault for many members of our campus community,” says the petition, which was penned by student Lauren Walsh. “While it may appear humorous, or thought-provoking to some, it has already become a source of undue stress for many Wellesley College students, the majority of whom live, study, and work in this space.”

Davis Museum director Lisa Fischman wrote on Wellesley College’s official website that the sculpture was meant to evoke response.

“We placed the Sleepwalker on the roadside just beyond the Davis to connect the exhibition — within the museum — to the campus world beyond,” Fischman wrote, also posting it on Change.org as her response to the petition. “I love the idea of art escaping the museum and muddling the line between what we expect to be inside (art) and what we expect to be outside (life).” “As the best art does, Tony Matelli’s work provokes dialogue, and discourse is at the core of education,” she wrote.

“We were really disappointed that she seemed to articulate that she was glad it was starting discussion, but didn’t respond to the fact that it’s making students on campus feel unsafe, which is not appropriate,” Magid said. “We really feel that if a piece of art makes students feel unsafe, that steps over a line.” “I honestly didn’t even want to get too close to him,” said Laura Mayron, a Wellesley College sophomore. “It honestly makes me a little uncomfortable with how real he looks. It’s odd.” “I think art’s intention is to confront, but not assault, and people can see this as assaulting,” Wang said. “Wellesley is a place where we’re supposed to feel safe. I think place and a context matters, and I don’t think this is the place to put it.”

There are so many preposterous quotes in this article I don’t even know where to begin. Like I honestly don’t even know whose side I’m on here. The feminists or the artist? Like I don’t get how once you know this thing is a statue you still feel threatened? Hey newsflash this is a statue. It’s not going to become real in the middle of the night and attack you. It doesn’t move. It’s not alive. There is no threat. But having said that how the fuck is this art? It’s just a fucking dude in his underwear? That ain’t art. This is crap. So what we got here is a piece of crap passing as art making feminists nervous that it may come to life and attack them? This time we both lose Johny.

PS – Can you imagine if the situation was reversed? How feminists would react if people demanded to take down a statue of a scantily clad women? THAT’S THE FEMALE FORM AND WE’RE NOT EMBARRASSED! STOP TRYING TO SHAME MY BODY YOU MISOGYNISTIC OVERLORDS!!