Date of Award
12-2025
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Art in Art History and Visual Culture
Department
Art
First Advisor
Stefanie Snider
Second Advisor
Caroline Paganussi
Third Advisor
Esperança Camara
Abstract
This thesis examines how repeated public interactions with statues of women, particularly the ritualized rubbing of their breasts, alter both the material surfaces and symbolic meanings of statues. We will focus on three bronze sculptures: the Molly Malone statue in Dublin, the Juliet statue in Verona, and the Bust of Dalida in Paris. Through these, we will investigate how statues created with commemorative intent become sites of sexualized behavior based on gender. The problem this thesis addresses is the lack of scholarly analysis on how gendered public interaction physically and symbolically transforms statues of women. While some scholarship covers either symbolic representation or conservation practices, few explore how the intersection of gender, public touch, and material change can shape meaning over time. This thesis argues that the ritualized breast-touching of these three statues demonstrates how public monuments of women are repeatedly sexualized in ways that reinforce patriarchal norms.
Recommended Citation
Kittrell, Olivea, "Rubbing Away Respect: How Repeated Touch Alters the Meaning of Women’s Statues" (2025). Theses. 1671.
https://digitalcommons.lindenwood.edu/theses/1671
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