Latest news with #BigMermaid
Spectator
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Spectator
The sad tale of Denmark's buxom mermaid
Hans Christian Andersen didn't write a fairy tale called 'The Ugly, Pornographic Duckling', yet his stories often feature alienation, exile and the struggle for acceptance. 'Ugly and pornographic', meanwhile, is how Politiken newspaper's art critic, Mathias Kryger, has described the 'Big Mermaid': a 14-ton, 13-foot tall, notably buxom statue which between 2006 and 2018 stood on Copenhagen's Langelinie promenade – only a few hundred feet away Edvard Eriksen's iconic 1913 'Little Mermaid' original (itself based on an Andersen fairy tale). The 'Big Mermaid' has now been exiled twice – in 2018 she was moved ten miles south to Copenhagen's Dragør Fort, after locals at Langelinie denounced her as 'fake and vulgar'. Now she is set to disappear from public view altogether, having been deemed 'not fitting' with the cultural heritage of the 1910 fort by Denmark's Agency for Palaces and Culture. Andersen, who was teased for being tall and ugly as a child, might well pity poor 'Big Mermaid'. She was originally commissioned by Danish entrepreneur Peter Bech, who had noted how frequently tourists were disappointed by the diminutive scale of Eriksen's mermaid, which at little over four feet tall can feel swamped by the scale of its open-air harbour surroundings. Big Mermaid, in response, is big in all dimensions; but it's her large, gravity-defying, perhaps prosthetically-enhanced breasts in particular – 'a man's hot dream of what a woman should look like', according to one commentator – which are the main cause of critical concern. 'Big's' breasts mean this statue strikes a very different tone to Eriksen's original. The latter is nude, yet seems barely sexualised – perhaps appropriately, given she is based on a story of love and redemption by Andersen, a confirmed bachelor of possibly bisexual leanings who claimed never to have lost his virginity, and was modelled by Eriksen's wife, a mother of five. Bech's version, meanwhile, appears influenced by a very different mermaid archetype – the siren temptress who will lure sailors into jeopardy; the kind of mermaid with the dazzling effect of Daryl Hannah, whose beauty upends Tom Hanks's promising fruit-and-vegetable wholesaling career in the 1984 movie Splash. In truth, attitudes towards the display of naked female breasts, whether on statues, in movies, or in real life, have changed very considerably, in both Denmark and the UK. In the UK, the Sun began publishing topless Page 3 girls in 1970 but ended the feature in 2015. Denmark's Ekstra Bladet tabloid started a similar feature on its Page 9 in 1976 (sadly, the more felicitous Page 6 – 'seks' in Danish – was just too profitable a page for advertising); and this is still going, but only after 1,649 photos of underage girls featured before 2003 were blurred in its digital archives. Recent models tend to be much closer to 30 years old. Public nudity on Danish beaches is generally legal, and from my childhood, I remember many naked bathers of all ages, shapes and sizes – some attractive, others very much not. But cultural homogenisation has led to Danish beaches looking just like beaches in California or Spain, and there are few nudists left. It has been excellent news for vendors of bikinis – after all, the only tailors who made ever made money from nakedness were Andersen's, in The Emperor's New Clothes. For now, Big Mermaid will have no fairy-tale ending. Yet Hans Christian Andersen also liked to play around with scale, and if this were one of his fairy tales, an obvious solution to Big Mermaid's plight would be found: an even greater statue – Huge Mermaid, with breasts as big as Copenhagen's Round Tower, would be commissioned, creating a triptych of mermaids, including Eriksen's, in which Big Mermaid's merely very ample breasts would pale into insignificance. Reality, I fear, seems likely to disappoint profoundly.
Sydney Morning Herald
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
Denmark to tear down Copenhagen's ‘pornographic' mermaid statue
A statue of a mermaid with big breasts will be removed from its location in Copenhagen after complaints that it is 'pornographic' and vulgar. The four-metre-tall Big Mermaid has been described as 'a man's hot dream of what a woman should look like', with its breasts having been the subject of controversy for years. It was unveiled in 2006 at a location a few hundred metres from the famous statue of The Little Mermaid, on Langelinie Pier. After complaints that the bigger mermaid was too sexualised, in 2018 it was transferred to Dragor Fort, part of Copenhagen's former sea fortifications, several kilometres south of the city. Now the Danish agency for palaces and culture is reportedly preparing to remove it altogether, saying it does not fit with the cultural heritage of the fort, which dates back to 1910. Criticism 'is pure nonsense' Peter Bech, a Danish restaurateur who designed and commissioned Big Mermaid, said he could not understand what the fuss was about. 'The mermaid has completely normal proportions in relation to her size. Of course the breasts are big on a big woman,' Bech told Danish broadcaster TV 2 Kosmopol.
The Age
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Age
Denmark to tear down Copenhagen's ‘pornographic' mermaid statue
A statue of a mermaid with big breasts will be removed from its location in Copenhagen after complaints that it is 'pornographic' and vulgar. The four-metre-tall Big Mermaid has been described as 'a man's hot dream of what a woman should look like', with its breasts having been the subject of controversy for years. It was unveiled in 2006 at a location a few hundred metres from the famous statue of The Little Mermaid, on Langelinie Pier. After complaints that the bigger mermaid was too sexualised, in 2018 it was transferred to Dragor Fort, part of Copenhagen's former sea fortifications, several kilometres south of the city. Now the Danish agency for palaces and culture is reportedly preparing to remove it altogether, saying it does not fit with the cultural heritage of the fort, which dates back to 1910. Criticism 'is pure nonsense' Peter Bech, a Danish restaurateur who designed and commissioned Big Mermaid, said he could not understand what the fuss was about. 'The mermaid has completely normal proportions in relation to her size. Of course the breasts are big on a big woman,' Bech told Danish broadcaster TV 2 Kosmopol. He argued that the statue attracts tourists and called criticism of it 'pure nonsense', adding that he hoped a compromise could be reached so it could stay.
Scottish Sun
5 days ago
- General
- Scottish Sun
‘Ugly & pornographic' 14-tonne mermaid statue to be torn down in Denmark in row over her ‘vulgar' boobs
The statue has been blasted for its poor representation of a female body THE LITTLE MERMAI-DD 'Ugly & pornographic' 14-tonne mermaid statue to be torn down in Denmark in row over her 'vulgar' boobs Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) 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. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 A row has broken out in Denmark over a mermaid statue Credit: 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.
The Sun
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
‘Ugly & pornographic' 14-tonne mermaid statue to be torn down in Denmark in row over her ‘vulgar' boobs
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. 1 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.
