Statue of Famous WWII Kiss Opens to Mixed Reviews

Royal Oak, MI — Marty and Nancy Myer, of Farmington Hills, were the first couple to pose for a kiss in front of the 25-foot “Embracing Peace” statute as it was hoisted into place Monday morning at the future site of the Michigan WWII Legacy Memorial in Royal Oak.

American sculptor Seward Johnson’s “Embracing Peace” statue has special significance for the couple. According to a post on the City of Royal Oak’s Facebook page, Marty Myer, 89, served with the U.S. Navy during World War II and well understands the celebratory glee epitomized in the towering statue.

It was inspired by an actual event, the famous World War II-ending kiss captured in Times Square on V-J Day, Aug. 14, 1945, by photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt, after it was announced that Japan had surrendered unconditionally to the Allied Forces.

Also on hand for the installation was Samantha Pattison, 50, of Royal Oak, who was carrying a handbag that has a replicate of the famous image. Standing in the background behind the iconic VJ Day couple was Ruth Spencer, Pattison’s grandmother.

“Embracing Peace” is on loan to the city of Royal Oak for a year. It is one of four created by the sculptor; the others are permanently installed in Sarasota, FL; San Diego, CA; and Normandy, France.

It has garnered mostly positive comments, though there were some exceptions.

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Lanie Epstein said the moment wasn’t as it was portrayed.

“Stop portraying this as a statue of a romantic kiss, it's an assault,” she wrote on the Facebook post. “It was not consensual, this was not a couple but a man attacking a stranger on the street.”

“How can this not be overshadowed by the fact that this 25 foot, overly-sexualized, unnecessarily leggy nurse is in the grasp of sexual assault by a stranger in public?” he wondered.

“I am a sexual assault survivor and all I see in this statue is a man who was beyond excited that the war had ended, he was safe and wanted to celebrate with others,” Carrie Reese Rugenstein countered. “While the kiss may or may not have been consensual it was certainly not done to exude power over the other or done with malicious intent.”

• SEE ALSO: Statue of Famous World War II Kiss to be Installed in Royal Oak Monday

• TELL US: What do you think about the “Embracing Peace” statue?

Images: Courtesy of the City of Royal Oak