In a viral TikTok, user @acaciasoren claims that Juliet’s statue in Verona, Italy has been “sexually harassed” due to a tradition of touching her breasts for good luck, causing her dress to fade. Her take sparked debate about the tradition in the comments.
“Juliet’s statue has been (sexually) harassed so often that her dress literally faded,” the text overlay reads while showing the fading on the breast area of the statue.
The statue based on the “Romeo and Juliet” character was reportedly built in 1972, but it is unknown when the tradition began. According to Stars and Stripes, the statue cracked at the breast and broke at the arm in 2014 due to so much handling, and it was soon after replaced.
User @acaciasoren’s video received over 1.2 million views, sparking debate about the ethics of the tradition in the comments. Several users pointed out that Juliet was 13 years old in Shakespeare’s play, arguing that the tradition seems predatory.
“She was…. literally like 13!!! WE ALL KNEW THIS,” one user said.
“I would hold her hand or somethin, why do people have to be so disrespectful,” another said.
However, many others noted the tradition’s intention of inciting good luck.
“They’re touching her heart for good luck, this take is so chronically online,” one user said.
“It’s supposed to give you luck and love why are yall so mad,” another said.
Others argued that worrying about harassment of a statue takes away energy and resources from living women who experience sexual harassment.
“That is literally a statue of a fictional character go worry about real women with actual emotions,” one user said.
“Y’all, put this energy into actually helping victims of SA and not a statue,” said another.
A few users pointed out that many other statues, both of men and women, have spots of fading in inappropriate places.
“Ok TO BE FAIR many male statues also have the same thing going on in the crotch region from people touching it,” one user said.
“It’s not a female thing people just like touching statues bits,” another said.
The Daily Dot reached out to user @acaciasoren via TikTok comment.
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