Denmark to remove ‘ugly and pornographic' mermaid statue after complaints, reports say

Independent

05-08-2025

A large statue of a mermaid in Denmark is set to be removed from public view after critics described it as 'ugly and pornographic' and a 'man's hot dream of what a woman should look like'.
The 13ft tall Big Mermaid statue was originally unveiled in Copenhagen in 2006, just a few hundred yards from the famous statue of the Little Mermaid. It has caused controversy for years due to its exaggerated figure and large breasts.
In 2018, it was moved to Dragør Fort, which lies several miles south of the city.
Denmark's agency for palaces and culture is now preparing to remove the statue altogether, according to local media. The agency is said to have concluded that the mermaid figure does not fit with the cultural heritage of the fort, which dates back to 1910.
The Independent has reached out to the agency for comment.
Politiken's art critic, Mathias Kryger, called the statue 'ugly and pornographic' in comments reported by The Guardian.
Journalist Sorine Gotfredsen also described the statue as 'a man's hot dream of what a woman should look like' in Danish newspaper Berlingske, adding it was 'unlikely to promote many women's acceptance of their own bodies.'
The newspaper's debate editor, Aminata Corr Thrane, said that the scrutiny faced by the statue was akin to body shaming.
'Do naked female breasts have to have a specific academic shape and size to be allowed to appear in public?' she wrote.
Peter Bech, the man who designed and commissioned the statue, has fought back at criticism, insisting that the breasts are a 'proportional size'.
He told Danish broadcaster, TV 2 Kosmopol: 'The mermaid has completely normal proportions in relation to her size. Of course the breasts are big on a big woman.'
He added that the statue attracts tourists and slammed criticism as 'pure nonsense' as he hoped a compromise could be reached.
Mr Bech reportedly offered to donate the statue to the fort itself, to which Helle Barth, chair of Dragør muncipality's climate, urban and business committee, told Berlingske: 'It's just hard to fit in. It takes up a lot of space.'
Copenhagen is famous for its statue of The Little Mermaid, a bronze statue unveiled in 1913 by Edvard Eriksen, depicting a mermaid becoming human in homage to Danish author Hans Christian Anderson.