Frida Kahlo Research Paper

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What many people don’t understand about Frida Kahlo, a feminist icon for decades, is that she transcended her pain in every aspect of her work. Her facial hair not only destroyed gender roles, but it also emphasized how men saw her as ‘less’ than a woman. Her paintings allowed viewers to understand her mind and just how depressing her thoughts were. Also, her feminism built her power, even though she held herself to a smaller title. I, personally, connect with her in particularly her feminism and gender role destruction for multiple reasons. Digging deeper within Kahlo’s feminism, I deeply associate myself as a feminist, as well. Kahlo’s marriage to Diego Rivera “was a grave accident,” according to her, understanding that she never needed…show more content…
Frida Kahlo enjoyed drinking, cursing, smoking, and other male-dominated hobbies. She destroyed the common “lady-like” qualities that women ‘must’ possess. She was not afraid to express her thoughts or be brutal towards her view in life. Because of this, Kahlo was able to demonstrate that women don’t have to be ‘flowers and daisies’ all the time if they don’t wish to be. They can curse, say dirty jokes, and allow facial hair to remain noticeable. In our society today, it is stereotyped that if a woman has short hair, she is attracted to other women. I enjoyed being asked that question multiple times last year, and explaining that my hair doesn’t portray my preferences. It helped others understand that those stereotypes are wrong, and gender roles are useless. Kahlo's disability to bear children, too, proves that women are held to an immense amount of gender roles that cannot always be contained. I feel less pressured to have children, because of people like Kahlo who prove that children don’t equal a good life, in certain…show more content…
Kahlo was an extremely artistic and creative woman in her time, whereas my painting abilities are mediocre. Her deep honesty about grief and pain created this image of herself that many people hold today- that she wasn’t happy. Perhaps this was because she regretted her marriage, or the fact she couldn’t bear children, but whatever the case, her paintings contained the worst part of herself in a beautiful way. Out of her 143 paintings, about 55 were of herself. She was her own popular subject. She enjoyed portraits of not only herself, but others, such as her husband, Diego Rivera. However, we differ in that aspect. I enjoy looking at art, but as of now, I am not great at embracing my pain and incorporating it into my work. My artistic capabilities are sub-par, to say the least, and to put forth such honesty in my work would fear me, in that people may look at me in a different

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