San Francisco Erects Giant Statue of Naked Lady — for Female Empowerment

San Francisco took a stand for women’s empowerment yesterday by plopping a 45-foot tall, glowing statue of a naked lady in front of a popular tourist spot.

The giant woman, which was initially created for the 2015 Burning Man festival, sits in front of the storied Ferry Building. It ostensibly symbolizes “feminine strength and empowerment.”

Let me get this straight: of all the depictions of feminine strength, in all of history, from Mary, to Joan of Arc, to Rosie the Riveter, to Mother Teresa, to Ilhona Maher…

…the city of San Francisco though the best representation of an empowered woman is a — naked one?

Let’s be clear — the female body is nothing to be ashamed of. Our created, sexed bodies are how humans participate in the creation of new humans.

But human sexuality changed when sin entered the world. Nudity outside the intimate, protective bonds of marriage became dangerous. Historically, it exposed women to unwanted physical advances and reduced their social leverage. It could be used to humiliate, control and subjugate.

The legacy of public nudity is not an empowering one. Why would women ever want that history memorialized in 45-feet of metal?

Some would say our society has evolved. Women, they argue, are out from under men’s thumb. They can make decisions about their own bodies. These same people encourage women to forgo clothes as an act of bodily autonomy.

Women have more freedom and legal protections than ever before, it’s true. But the sinful conditions that made nudity outside marriage so dangerous, back then, are still around today.

Lack of clothing still increases women’s likelihood of experiencing unwanted physical advances.

People post explicit photos and videos of women on the internet to humiliate them.

Apps like OnlyFans leave women and their bodies financially beholden to faceless subscribers.

On social media, morally bankrupt parents leverage their daughters’ bodies to amass a following, exposing them to the dehumanization and exploitation of millions.

Public nudity has never been — and still isn’t — empowering for women. As far as I’m concerned, San Francisco’s naked lady statue is a monument to female victimization.  

I’ll stick with Mother Teresa.

Additional Articles and Resources

‘Naked-Dress’ Trend Doesn’t Empower Women

Public Nudity Isn’t Empowering

‘Only Fans’ is a Social Toxin Destroying Lives

Horrifying Instagram Investigation Indicts Modern Parenting

Rugby Sensation Ilona Maher’s Stance on Femininity is Biblical