It is a truth universally acknowledged that nothing on this Earth can occur without causing at least one person to be outraged. In the case of this seagull sculpture with boobs, it’s precisely 396 people. Good job, everyone!
“Seagull Cinderella,” created by artist Donna Dodson, has appeared in various locales, but it’s a stint by a prominent junction in New Bedford, Massachusetts, that’s raising eyebrows.
Thirty-one-year-old teacher Ray Concannon started a petition aimed at Mayor John F. Mitchell to remove the sculpture, which is currently scheduled to run in a local exhibition through October. (As the Daily Beast points out, the majority of New Bedford residents do not take issue with the seagull’s bosom.)
“I believe the statue should be removed not because it is offensive but because it is ugly and reflects poorly on our city,” Concannon wrote, adding, “I never said it wasn’t art, but it is bad art. Good art is part of the New Bedford culture. Tacky is part of tacky … and this sculptor is from BOSTON. While some cultures have represented concepts such as fertility through breasts, this piece has no intention or relevance to anything except being ‘whimsical.’”
Concannon told South Coast Today that he first became aware of the sculpture when, while driving by, his children said, “Look at that duck with boobs.”
This news comes shortly after a busty sand-sculpture mermaid caused controversy in Cape Cod. Massachusetts: Okay with clam chowder, not okay with mythical representations of breasts.
