Explore the Criticism about the Other responses of the Reception in this artwork.
Criticism Some commentators questioned Sulkowicz's account of the assault and argued that the performance was unfair to Nungesser.
Social critic Camille Paglia described Mattress Performance as "a parody of the worst aspects of that kind of grievance-oriented feminism", adding that a feminist work "should empower women, not cripple them".In an editorial in the New York Post, Naomi Schaefer Riley criticized Sulkowicz's work as "shaming without proof" and accused Sulkowicz and her supporters of "saving themselves from having to answer any questions and destroying men's lives with lies and innuendo". In his article "If anything's art, art's nothing", National Post columnist Robert Fulford compared Sulkowicz's work to that of Megumi Igarashi and concluded, "if everything is art, then art can be used for anything. And in the process meaning and value dissolve and art becomes hopelessly debased."In an editorial for The Federalist, columnist Mona Charen stated that she believed Sulkowicz was likely "shading the truth" and argued that, while campus rape was a real problem, advocates did not pay enough attention to the possibility of false allegations.
Robert Fulford New York Camille Paglia The Federalist New York Post Megumi Igarashi Mona Charen Naomi Schaefer Riley National Post