In the heart of Barranquilla, Colombia, cheers rang out as a towering 24-foot bronze statue of Sofía Vergara was unveiled in the plaza where she once played as a child. The hometown honor was meant to celebrate one of the country’s most beloved icons—but within minutes, everyone online was saying the same thing: “Is that really her?”
The massive statue, crafted by local sculptor Natalia García, drew a massive crowd of city officials, schoolchildren, and celebrities. Cameras rolled as the silk cloth dropped—revealing a regal, beaming Vergara immortalized in bronze. The applause was instant, but so were the puzzled glances.
One Twitter user summed it up perfectly:
“Amazing statue—but I kept thinking: is the face actually hers? Something’s off.”
The footage quickly spread. An Instagram reel from @ParaEchoVideo showed two elderly women whispering under their breath. “She’s a star, but that looks like her cousin,” one of them said as the other nodded. The post went viral in hours.
Online, the consensus grew. A Reddit thread on r/Colombia drew over 1,500 comments. “Beautiful work, wrong face,” read the top reply. Another poster added, “It feels like an AI’s idea of Sofía.” In r/SofiaVergara, one user asked, “Did they use her sister as the model instead?”
The statue was commissioned by the city council and supported by a private endowment. As reported by El Heraldo, the project cost nearly COP 600 million—roughly $150,000 USD. Although Vergara herself couldn’t attend, she sent a video message that played on giant screens: “Barranquilla, you gave me everything. This is for all of you.”
Another tweet captured the irony:
“We love Sofía. This statue though? Like a beautiful wax version with Wi-Fi problems.”
International outlets joined in. BBC News called it a “towering tribute…with a puzzling twist.” The New York Times ran the headline: “Statue Honors Sofía Vergara—But Is That Her Face?”
ArtNews wrote that sculptor García “favored emotional symbolism over strict likeness,” citing similar controversies with monuments of Frida Kahlo and Rigoberta Menchú. Read their analysis for deeper context.
Even Vergara’s cousin weighed in. According to People en Español, she laughed and told family: “I feel honored, but does that statue have my cheekbones?” The line spread like wildfire.
A popular tweet by @ArteCol declared:
“Marvelous scale and representation—but the profile hits uncanny valley. Like a mask more than a monument.”
Critics and fans alike debated what made it feel off. Some cited the elongated facial structure, others the fixed expression. In an Instagram Live session, García defended her work, saying, “It’s a stylized vision of Sofía’s spirit—not her passport photo.”
Meanwhile, ArchDaily ran a detailed breakdown of how public sculptures in Latin America often aim for symbolism over strict portraiture. The site compared the Vergara piece to previous debates over statues of Simón Bolívar and Gabriel García Márquez.
The reaction wasn’t all confused. Many visitors posted heartfelt tributes. A TikTok by @ColombianVibes showed fans dancing around the statue to salsa music, captioned: “She’s ours forever—even if her eyebrows got remixed.” That clip has over 1.2 million likes and counting.
TimeOut Bogotá covered the ceremony, calling it “a celebration of cultural identity that launched a thousand memes.” Local stations aired montages of fans hugging the statue while others squinted at the face.
Over on X (formerly Twitter), a Colombian teacher posted: “My students keep asking why the statue looks like it’s about to sneeze. But they’re still proud.” That post was reshared by @CulturaCol, with the caption: “When you honor your heroes, and your sculptor’s reference photo is blurry.”
Regardless of the facial critiques, no one is disputing the emotional impact. “This moment is bigger than likeness,” said María Castillo, an art historian from Cartagena. “This statue says: You can rise from this soil and stand 24 feet tall.”
As Latin Art Journal noted, the public art debate often reflects how people relate to identity. The Vergara statue may be imperfect—but it represents pride, permanence, and home.
