#MeToo Sprayed on Kissing Sailor Statue After Veteran’s Death

George Mendonsa, better known as the ‘kissing sailor’, died on Sunday at the age of 95.

George Mendonsa, better known as the ‘kissing sailor’, dies at the age of 95.

(Photo: Twitter/ @NavalInstitute)

George Mendonsa, the US sailor who was photographed kissing a woman in New York's Times Square to celebrate the end of World War Two, passed away on Sunday, 17 February at the age of 95, according to The Guardian. Mendonsa’s daughter has said that she got a call on Sunday, informing her that he had fallen and moments later had a seizure and died, at a care home in Middletown, Rhode Island.

As mentioned in the History website, the ‘iconic’ photograph was taken by Alfred Eisenstaedt for Life magazine and got Mendonsa the name ‘kissing sailor’. The picture is also called the ‘V-J Day in Times Square’ picture, as was established by Life magazine. The woman seen in the photo was later identified as Greta Friedman.

Eisenstaedt had reportedly described how he watched the sailor running down the street on 14 August 1945, grabbing any girl in sight.

‘Not Romance, But Sexual Assault’

Even though the picture has achieved iconic status, it has garnered criticism over the years on account of consent being overlooked. Mendonsa is said to have grabbed the woman in question and kissed her, in a moment of frenzy.

Here’s what Twitter users had to say:

Kissing Sailor Statue Vandalised

A day after the sailor seen kissing a woman in the iconic World War II photo died, a statue commemorating the couple was found vandalised. #MeToo was sprayed in red on the left leg of the woman.

#MeToo spray-painted on the statue.(Photo: Sarasota Police Department)

According to the BBC, the damage is estimated to be around $1,000, looking at the area vandalised and the resources needed to fix it.

The graffiti has now been removed from the statue.

(With inputs from BBC, The Guardian, History)