Frida Kahlo Impact On Society

924 Words4 Pages

Loads of people seem to disregard the incredible effect that a piece of art can have on society. Yet, there has been proof by a multitude of artists, such as Frida Kahlo, that artwork, new or aged, can leave a lasting influential impact on the world. As a child and teen, Kahlo suffered through several serious injuries, some including contracting polio at age 6 and since then having 1 permanently damaged leg, and at age 15, enduring a nearly fatal bus incident in which a metal rod impaled her womb, along with crushing her pelvis and fracturing a multitude of parts in her body. Bedridden, she began to pursue her new, lifelong passion for painting. Frida Kahlo proves that although challenging hardships from the past have the severe ability to …show more content…

She executed nearly all of her paintings with gory reality, illustrating “revealing self-portraits that highlighted her real appearance and exposed her physical flaws” (“Popular Culture” 2). She was not afraid to affix features such as a unibrow or light mustache to her feminine face, which was extraordinary, considering how beauty standards were set at the time and are unfortunately still set by many in society today. Adding minor details like these onto the face of a painting drastically changed it, and gave the message that it was normal for women to possess these “flaws”; that they should not be looked down upon. Kahlo not only painted features people could see in public through the naked eye, but she also enjoyed putting the spotlight on afflictions women often endure privately, as her art “also supports people who suffer as a result of an accident, as result of miscarriage, and as result of failed marriage” (“Overview” 59). Kahlo was a victim of all of these agonies, as are heaps of other women throughout the world. Her graphic works involving these ideas emotionally affect her audience while reminding them, especially reminding women like her, that they are not alone in their …show more content…

Along with exhibiting her strong feminist insights, she also gradually became a heroic figure for people of the LGBTQ+ community, as she “made no secret of her bisexuality in her work… symbolizing the right to affirm one’s identity” (“Frida Kahlo” 4). Revealing this was exceptionally courageous, especially throughout the 1900s, and because women were mistreated more often than not anyway. Another unconventional aspect of Kahlo’s work encompasses how she proudly “advertised her heritage” (“Frida Kahlo” 3). With deep personal family connections to the Mexican Revolution, her ethnicity was substantial to her. Consequently, she relished picturing herself in cultural dresses, occasionally holding the Mexican