How Does Frida Kahlo Define Social Oppression?

Social oppression means using interpersonal methods to control, subdue, or suppress individuals, groups, or larger social entities (N). During the 1940s, women were expected to prioritize the needs of men. There are numerous ways in which people experience social oppression, and they express their sentiments toward it in multiple ways. Art is one of the mediums, and Frida Kahlo is one of the artists. Frida Kahlo has many paintings, most being portraits, which have many different meanings. She mainly focused on putting her reality into art, which revealed her feelings. The artwork “Self Portrait with Short Hair” depicts Frida sitting on a chair, dressed in a suit, and holding scissors. The scattered hair on the floor suggests that she has cut

Frida often resisted this request through her paintings, especially in “Self Portrait with Short Hair.” Eventually, the couple got a divorce, which was the primary purpose of this painting (Richman-Abdou). “After the separation with Diego, Frida chooses to abandon her feminine image. She cut her hair short, got rid of the Tehuana dress Diego is obsessed with and started to wear [a] man’s suit… This self-portrait expressed her desire to be independent and not relying on men” (Self Portrait With Cropped Hair). Since Frida knew that Rivera’s, and other men’s, main attraction to women was hair, she made that her focal point. By cutting her hair, she was taking away one of the main reasons her husband loved her, which shows an evident tone of revenge and letting go. She also included a quote referencing a song, “See, if I loved you, it was for your hair, now you’re bald, I don’t love you anymore.” It appears Frida has finally made it to her breaking point with Rivera. She is now in the era of independency and breaking societal standards of women needing men to survive. Since this was a sad time in her life, her short hair also references when Rivera’s affair with her sister was revealed. Frida had short hair back then and has short hair again in the painting (Gerry Souter). The hair length connects her feelings and reveals that she has the same feelings now as she did back

Gerry Souter, the author of two Frida Kahlo books, says, “The hair cuttings don’t lie on the ground in realistic perspective, but float dreamlike in suspension like seaweed or the roots of long-dead plants.” (Gerry Souter). Many people agree with this because her hair has unusual curves. Since Frida’s hair was usually straight, the hair on the floor should be straight as well. Instead, it resembles dead plant roots, as Gerry Souter said, which can also symbolize a dead end in her life. The scattered hair on the floor can represent many other things as well. Another author says the cut hair strands could symbolize the broken pieces of her heart (Du Plessis). This is another excellent observation because that’s one of the most apparent analyses to make with the least amount of background information. Looking at first glance can bring many ideas, and the hair representing her heart is a common one people come up with. Lastly, other analyzers say, “The locks of hair strewn around her are thought to symbolis[z]e her femininity that she has sacrificed but can be interpreted merely as a challenge to gender conforming notions of beauty today…instead of viewing her cropped hair as an act of martyrdom, one can interpret it as a bold message” (“Frida Kahlo’s”). This analysis hints more toward the gender roles in society. Since everybody knows that society considers hair feminine, their first