A Frida Friday: Why Frida Kahlo is a Legendary Human
A Frida Friday: Why Frida Kahlo is a Legendary Human
Over the course of the last few weeks, I’ve developed an ever-growing obsession with the legendary femme fatale, Frida Kahlo. Many people think she’s simply a mega-badass artist who is an iconic symbol of feminism- which she totally is, but her story is one of the most intriguing things I’ve come across. I decided to do a post with an outfit that is loosely inspired by Frida Kahlo. I might not have the wild unibrow (I got mine waxed off when I was 11), and the flower-embellished up-do, but I did wear a long, colorful skirt! Regardless, I hope you enjoy my little ode to Frida! So put on your history hats, everyone- here are some fun (and not-so-fun) facts about Frida Kahlo!
1. First and foremost, Frida Kahlo lived with an unbelievable amount of physical pain during her short life, and yet she continued to SLAY. When Kahlo was only 6 years old, she contracted polio, which severely stunted growth in her right leg.
Fun fact #1: Frida’s right leg became much skinnier than her left, which is why she always wore her legendary long skirts.
2. Frida was openly bisexual, which is absolutely unheard of for the 1920’s. I’m pretty sure she had her fair share of affairs with the ladies.
Fun fact #2: She even continued to defy normality by wearing men’s clothes on the occasion- you’ll see this if you look up her family photo.
3. When Frida was only 18, she got into a near-fatal trolley accident. Not only did she break multiple ribs, her collarbone, her leg, foot, and her spinal column- she was also impaled with a steel handrail. Unfortunately, this completely disrupted her reproductive system, thus making her infertile.
Fun fact #3: Although the trolley accident caused Frida life-threatening injuries, it became the start of her painting career. Frida had a mirror hung above her bed so she could paint while healed. This allowed her to paint self-portraits, which became the main focus of her artwork.
4. She married famous painter Diego Rivera- or should I say Dieg-HOE. He cheated on her multiple times, even having an affair with her sister. She finally divorced him soon after. Thank god, he wasn’t even cute.
Fun fact #4: Frida chopped off all of her hair after Diego slept with her sister, and stopped dressing the way that Diego loved. God, she was badass.
Obviously Frida Kahlo was an amazing female, artist, feminist, etc. Fun fact #5: She also owned a monkey. Yeah, she literally painted a self-portrait with her monkey(s). Despite all of the pain she endured, Frida continued living her life to the fullest. She never dared to stray from her true self, she never tried to fit into societal norms. Her art was odd, she wore men’s clothes, she could guzzle tequila and smoke more cigarettes than any man. Frida Kahlo is so much more than a symbol of feminism, she is a symbol of life. So, for the most part (I say this because I’m pretty sure she cheated on Diego and had lots of affairs, but don’t quote me on that), I think we should all aim to live a little bit more like Frida. I don’t encourage smoking cigarettes, but I do encourage wearing flowers in your hair and creating some weird art!
Embrace Your Misfit Soul,
xoxo Julia B.
Photos by Peter Chrzan
