Texas Town Erects Selfie Statue

Though “selfie” was the Oxford English Dictionary’s Word of the Year way back in 2013, it had yet to be canonized in the form of a public sculpture. That is, until Sugar Land, Texas, took matters into its own hands. The town recently erected a statue of two young women taking a selfie in front of its city hall. Resident Sandy Levin donated the statue, according to meeting minutes provided by the town. The selfie statue is the second of a 10-piece donation, the first being a guitar player. Other pieces will be located at Sugar Land Memorial Park, Oyster Creek Park, and Fire Station 4 in First Colony, another Texas locale. “The City is currently developing a Public Art Plan that reflects the public’s strong desire for art that beautifies the city, has a place-making quality and supports places where people gather such as Sugar Land Town Square,” Sugar Land said in a press release. Still, some were less-than-pleased by the public art.

The statue is good, and drives public conversation. The general tone of people criticizing it is meaningless ludditism at best and outright misogyny at worst. Selfies happen. Everyone takes them. This is good public art.