Denmark Is Fixated on This Statue's Breasts

Denmark's culture agency is to remove an oversized mermaid statue after criticisms that it's "pornographic" and represents "a man's hot dream of what a woman should look like." The 13-foot-tall Big Mermaid statue at Dragør Fort, part of Copenhagen's former sea fortress, has prominent breasts and nipples, which sculptor Peter Bech argues are "of a proportional size" to the scale of the statue, per the Guardian. But critics, including journalist Sorine Gotfredsen, say the statue is vulgar and unlikely to promote positive self-image. This isn't the first round of criticism hurled at the statue. It was first erected at Langelinie Pier in Copenhagen in 2006, but denounced by locals before its removal in 2018.

Though it found a new home at Dragør Fort, Denmark's agency for palaces and culture requested that the statue be removed in March as it is ill-fitting with the "cultural-historical environment," per Euronews. It's worth noting that another mermaid statue with exposed breasts, dubbed the Little Mermaid, found near the Big Mermaid's original location in Copenhagen, does not generate the same kind of criticism. As Berlingske's debate editor, Aminata Corr Thrane, notes, the Big Mermaid "has bigger breasts." The Little Mermaid is also hunched over slightly, while the Big Mermaid has the appearance of pushing her breasts together with her arms. Bech is hoping the statue can still be appreciated in the town, however. Despite the criticisms, he says his sculpture has a lot of fans.