Mary Woolstonecraft is known as the "mother of feminism", and for good reason too. Her 1792 book "A Vindocation for the rights of Women" outlines key feminist ideas, such as the idea that women and men should be treated as equals. After a vigorous and hard campaign, protesters managed to fundraise enough in order to honour her with a statue in north London.

This statue should have honoured her, and yet sadly, it objectifies her and even diminishes her achievements. It portrays her as a small, naked figure, which does not represent her importance in the slightest. This is a betrayal of the thousands of people who raised £143,000 in order to install it.

In London, 90% of statues are of men. Of those men, how many are naked? The sculpture, Maggie Hambling, argues that "clothes would have restricted her". This is inaccurate. By not having clothes, she is restricted by the male gaze, taking attention away from her accomplishments. Her small size further adds to this - why is a historical figure with such a large impact on the feminist movement so small on her own statue?

We are very glad that Woolstonecraft has been honoured with a statue. But we are also disappointed that this statue does not represent the incredible figure that she was. We ask that London City Council replace the statue with another of Woolstonecraft, but that this is far more respectful and does not undermine the importance of this vital woman.