The famous “Fearless Girl” statue, located in front of the New York Stock Exchange, will be transformed into NFTs to promote the place of women in the cryptocurrency industry.
Is the world of cryptocurrency too masculine? To combat this stereotype and bring more women into digital currencies, the sculptor behind the “Fearless Girl” statue in New Tork, Kristen Visbal, has released her artwork as an NFT version. Fists on hips and determined gaze, the “Fearless Girl” has become a true symbol over the years: that of the fight against inequalities between women and men.
Kristen Visbal decided to release this digital version to “attract women to a male-dominated space”. Simple prejudice or reality, difficult to judge. Yet the Corner Telegraph recently estimated that only 5% of women have NFTs. NFT creators and other blockchain artists are 84% male, according to ArtTactic. Women are heavily underrepresented in this new tech industry. But new projects could, perhaps, change the situation.
Facilitate access to women
Unlike the multiple NFT or cryptocurrency projects based on investment or profitability at all costs, women tend to turn to social projects. For example, the World of Women (WoW) project supports many causes and associations through NFTs. These don’t feature the heads of mutant monkeys or pixel men, but portraits of women from different cultures. Recently, The Sandbox metaverse launched the WoW Foundation with the goal of making it easier for women to enter the NFT and metaverse industry.
Other initiatives, such as Boss Beauties, offer study programs to young women around the world. Ou Girlies, created by a 14-year-old girl, has met with some success with its works, part of the revenue from which is donated to the Malala Fund. The goal is to attract more girls to blockchain and non-fungible tokens.
The blockchain, metaverse or even cryptocurrency industry is still an essentially male environment. However, the anonymity provided by these networks could allow certain female artists to meet with greater success… financially. In a study cited by The Economist in 2019, four European academics found that artwork made by women sold for 42% less than art made by men. The blockchain digital system can, in a sense, remove certain barriers such as social class or gender inequalities.