‘Ugly & pornographic' 14-tonne mermaid statue to be torn down in Denmark in row over her ‘vulgar' boobs

The Sun

6 days ago

A 14-tonne statue dubbed "ugly and pornographic" will be torn down in Denmark after a major row over her "vulgar" boobs.
The enormous stone figure - known as the Big Mermaid - will be removed from Copenhagen's landmark sea fortification, Dragør Fort, after causing a massive stir.
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The Danish Palaces and Culture Agency stated the statue does not "fit into the cultural-historical environment" of the 1910 landmark.
This comes as dozens of locals blasted the sculpture's design, with one art critic calling the mermaid "ugly and pornographic".
While, one journalist fumed the figure was a product of a "man's hot dream".
She said: 'Erecting a statue of a man's hot dream of what a woman should look like is unlikely to promote many women's acceptance of their own bodies.'
She added: 'It's truly uplifting that many find the statue vulgar, unpoetic, and undesirable, because we're suffocating in overbearing bodies in public space.'
The artist behind the statue, Peter Bech, hit back at criticism calling the breasts "proportional" to the size of the woman.
He said many visitors told him they loved the sculpture so he is trying to find a way of keeping it in the town.
Others fumed the scrutiny she was receiving was much the same as body shaming.
The statue was installed in 2006 at Langelinie Pier in Copenhagen, near the existing Little Mermaid statue but was relocated some years later after locals raged it was "fake and vulgar".
Dragør municipality has reportedly declined Peter's offer of donating the mermaid as a gift, reports the Guardian.
Shock moment tourist jumps railing and plunges 18ft into Terracotta Army pit before smashing two priceless statues
Landmark boss Helle Barth said: "it's just hard to fit in. It takes up a lot of space.'
Elsewhere in the UK, a public sculpture of a snail was likened to a "giant poo emoji" and branded a huge waste of public money.
The Periwinkle Shelter sculpture, which cost £6k and was woven from willow branches, is designed to imitate the tiny sea snail.
It was unveiled at Earnley Viewpoint at Medmerry Nature Reserve, near Chichester.
But visitors say the 4.5 metre sculpture resembles a "giant poo emoji" and have slammed it as a waste of taxpayers' money.
Solly Everett said: "The idea of marking the rich coastal heritage of the south coast with a giant poo emoji is hilarious.
"But given the amount of raw sewage in the sea these day perhaps it is entirely appropriate.
Metalworkers reveal Molly Malone needs 'urgent' care after 'daily abuse' as Dublin City Council call for landmark revamp
AN inspection of Dublin's famous statue of Molly Malone discovered it was not just her bosom that was in distress but that the entire sculpture was unstable with multiple broken fittings.
A report by expert metalworkers explained how two of the pins that held Molly in place were completely destroyed.
This had happened 'from the abuse she [was] receiving on a daily basis' according to records released by Dublin City Council.
The inspection showed the statue on Grafton Street was now held in place only by two fixing pins underneath the wheels of her cart.
An email said: 'The two fixing pins below her body have come loose or have cracked.
'As a matter of urgency, these pins need to be rewelded or replaced but to do that, the stone facing around the plinth will have to be removed so we can get at the pins.'
The inspection took place after Dublin City Council decided Molly Malone needed a revamp because of ongoing damage to her bosom area.
The statue's ample cleavage was often groped by visitors snapping photographs and had led to noticeable discolouration of the bronze on her chest.