In Praise of Average Amanda
She conveys the message that women should never feel forced to strive for an unrealistic interpretation of perfection.
Photo credit: Nelli Immonen
If you’ve been to Helsinki, there’s a decent chance you’ve encountered Havis Amanda.
The mermaid statue by sculptor Ville Vallgren towers above the city’s Market Square in the Kaartinkaupunki neighborhood of the Finnish capital. Erected in 1908, it is celebrated as one of the nation’s most prominent pieces of art—a tribute to the feminine beauty ideal, or at least to one particular version of the feminine beauty ideal: a long-legged, full-bosomed, chiseled-cheeked beauty ideal.
Havis Amanda symbolizes many positive things. Vallgren reportedly intended for the figure, who is surrounded by four sea lions, to be depicted as having risen from the sea and thus to be representative of Helsinki’s re-birth, or renaissance. And over the last century, it’s also become the center of celebration, most notably of Vappu, which Finnish people celebrate on May Day. According to the city’s art museum, Vappu “combines the influences of Saint Walpurgis’ Day celebrations which welcome in the spring, International Labour Day, and the traditional springtime revelry of Scandinavian students.”
But ever since it was unveiled, Havis Amanda has also triggered critical reactions. Some people have objected to the figure’s nudity. Others have taken issue with the fact that she’s placed on a pedestal, which—they say— could imply subjugation or sexual objectification. The figure is believed to be modeled on a 19-year old Parisian woman, named Marcelle Delquini, and through history some women’s rights groups have criticized her depiction as coquettish and lacking in innocence.
At the very least, many simply acknowledge that Havis Amanda portrays a stereotypical patriarchal ideal of femininity and for this reason I was thrilled recently when I received a press release informing me that, while the originally statue has been temporarily removed for restoration, another has taken it’s place. This one also depicts a female figure but she’s reclining on what seems to be a large chair or couch. Her chin rests in her hand. Her legs are crossed. She might be looking a little tired—perhaps worn out after a long day of work. She’s relatable. Meet Average Amanda.
“Statues typically represent heroic figures, and few of them represent women. The imbalance suggests that one must be an entirely unique woman to gain appreciation. At the same time, society has become increasingly performance-oriented,” a spokesperson for the Finnish healthcare provider Terveystalo—which is one of the organizations supporting the project—wrote in an email. “By placing ordinariness on a pedestal, Average Amanda seeks to initiate a conversation around the performance pressures experienced especially by young women,” she added. “This may be the first time that permissive idleness is being celebrated with a statue.”
I adore Average Amanda. She’s a woman who is unencumbered by ideals, norms and stereotypes of what a woman should look like and how a woman should present herself. As the organizers of the project elaborate, she conveys the message that women should never feel pressured to have to strive for an unrealistic interpretation of perfection in life. And Average Amanda also “serves as a reminder on the value of ordinariness, particularly from a mental health perspective,” they note.
Performance pressure impacts all genders, but especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, it became evident that women are particularly prone to stress, depression, anxiety and burnout.
As I wrote in an article for the BBC last year, research has linked lower incomes to higher stress levels and worse mental health in general. But many studies have also shown more specifically that incidences of burnout among women are greater because of differences in job conditions and the impact of gender on progression.
In 2018, for example, researchers from University of Montreal published a study tracking 2,026 workers over the course of four years. The academics concluded that women were more vulnerable to burnout than men because women were less likely to be promoted than men, and therefore more likely to be in positions with less authority which can lead to increased stress and frustration. The researchers also found that women were more likely to head single-parent families, experience child-related strains, invest time in domestic tasks and have lower self-esteem. These, of course, are all things that can exacerbate burnout.
In addition to the Finnish healthcare provider Terveystalo the Average Amanda project is supported by UN Women Finland, the Finnish women’s magazine MeNaiset, and the restaurant Salutorget. The statue was designed by illustrator Sanna Mander and brought to life by Maker3D and Fantasia Works.
WOMEN MONEY POWER: The Book
As always, a quick plug and update on WOMEN MONEY POWER, the book, which is out on March 5. Last week, Kirkus published it’s review, describing it as “vigorous” and “often inspiring”. Here’s an excerpt:
“A clear strength of the book is Cox’s attention to the contributions of lesser-known figures in the liberation movement as she chronicles in revealing detail the significance of “unsung heroes” such as Alice Paul, Pauli Murray, Shirley Chisholm, Lindy Boggs, and Muriel Siebert. The author’s commentary on Murray’s life is particularly astute; she not only highlights her extraordinary achievements as an activist on behalf of women and people of color, but also illuminates the often intersecting goals and strategies of the feminist and Civil Rights movements. Cox persuasively argues that contemporary understandings of intersectionality are deeply indebted to Murray’s work. Also memorable is the discussion of the development and wide-ranging impact of the birth control pill. The emergence of the pill at the beginning of the 1960s was the culmination of long-standing efforts on the political, legal, and scientific fronts to secure reproductive freedoms, and its economic ramifications were enormous.”
Everything you’ve been told about pre-orders is true: they’re extremely important for any book, and they can hugely influence chances of making bestseller lists, which of course, is a big deal. So if you like what you’ve been reading here, if you care about female economic empowerment, if you—as a champion of gender equality—want to learn more about the giants upon whose shoulders we (often unknowingly) stand, then please consider putting in your order.
You can do so through my publisher’s website here, Barnes & Noble here, Bookshop.org here, Thriftbooks here. Get in touch if you’re ordering from abroad or if you’d like a discount for bulk orders.
Please get in touch if you’re interested in collaborating or booking me for a speaking gig. I’d be thrilled to visit your local bookstore, company, school, campus, affinity group, or other event.
Three Others Things I’m Reading…
Gen Z, millennial women face historic headwinds when it comes to their health: Report (ABC News)
Move over, lads! How the world turned girly (Guardian)
How alcohol became a crutch for professional women (Financial Times)
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