'Fearless Girl' statue to stay on Wall Street for another year

The popular "Fearless Girl" statue of a brave young woman staring down the famous bronze "Charging Bull" sculpture will stay on Wall Street for another year.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the decision on Monday to extend its stay until the next International Women's Day, on March 8, 2018. He called the statue a symbol of "standing up to fear, standing up to power, being able to find in yourself the strength to do what's right."

According to the New York Times, originally, it was scheduled to be removed next week, it will now remain in place until early 2018.

"Fearless Girl" was created by the sculptor Kristen Visbal and erected in Bowling Green, a small park, by the financial firm State Street Global Advisors in honor of International Women's Day in March.

The statue was an immediate hit, drawing crowds who snapped selfies or stood alongside and mimicked its pose.

Calls for "Fearless Girl" to become a permanent part of the financial district began almost immediately after it appeared, including an online petition that had garnered more than 28,000 signatures by Monday morning.

However, not everyone has been pleased with the statue. Arturo Di Modica, the sculptor who created the "Charging Bull" in the 1980s, called it an "advertising trick" by a financial firm and said it was "a mistake" for activists to see it as a symbol for women's empowerment.