Mi Hermosa Frida: My First Latina Icon
(Originally published on Aug. 21, 2017)
I have been thinking a lot about famous Latinas I look up to and admire. One that always comes to mind without hesitation is Frida Kahlo.
I still remember the first time I learned about Frida.
In the third grade, I had to write a book report on someone of historical significance. Most of the other students picked political figures, but I wasn't convinced on any I came across, mainly because I didn't connect with their background or experience. I went back to my school's library and roamed the shelves, looking for anyone remotely interesting. I randomly pulled a book with a woman painted on the cover. I started reading the book and knew immediately that this was the woman I would write my book report on. Frida Kahlo.
I was nine years old at the time and before then, I did not know of any female Mexican artists from Mexico City. A city my parents were born and raised in. This was so exciting! With every turn of the page, I was diving deeper and deeper into the life of Frida, one filled with pain and suffering but also healing and redemption. From then on, what would flourish is my genuine love and appreciation for a woman who used her pain to create art. Through her art, she told a story of who she was and what she had been through. Not only that, I was staring at the work of a Mexican woman who defied the odds during the 1930s-1940s to be political, cultural, and personal in every paint stroke.
Frida Kahlo changed my life from then on.
In 2005, when I was eleven, I had the opportunity to travel to Mexico City with my dad. The only request I had during our trip was to visit 'La Casa Azul' (The Blue House) in Coyoacán, México. La Casa Azul was the house Frida was born in, owned by her family, and where she spent the last thirteen years of her life. That visit was the highlight of our week long stay in Mexico City because after reading as much literature my pre-teen self could get my hands on, I knew the ins and outs of Frida's life. The house was bright blue with a beautiful garden. Frida's old paintings hung on the walls as well as her beginning sketches. Old furniture lined each bedroom, transporting you back in time to Frida's life. They even had the mirror over her bed where Frida famously spent a lot of time creating her self portraits after a car accident in her teens. I took home a replica of a Diego Rivera painting, which is still hanging in my family home. Additionally, I took home with me the value and preservation of a Mexican woman's life, showing just how important she was to Mexico's history.
In 2008, the San Francisco Modern Art Museum exhibited 50 paintings by Frida Kahlo for a special exhibition. My mom knew I loved her work so she took my sister and I. I still have the mug I bought, even though her face has long ago been faded from the surface. As you can see, I followed Frida wherever she was and I sought her out, thanks to the active support from my family. At nine, eleven, or fourteen years old, I don't think I could perfectly articulate why I was so fascinated by Frida and what she meant to me. I just appreciated her talent, her story, how she dressed, the things she said. There was no explanation needed.
It wasn't until 2015 on a special trip with my best friend to visit my sister in Mexico City that I revisited 'La Casa Azul.' In ten years, 'La Casa Azul' museum had changed only slightly, but the line was longer than I remember, which brought a smile to my face. After all these years, I discovered within myself why I loved Frida so much while examining a new exhibition of her clothing she wore. She was a strong Latina feminist in all aspects of her life, intersecting different parts of her identity that made her whole.
Through her art, Frida depicted the struggle of a woman, whose sexuality and relationships were strong parts of her identity. Frida was unable to bear a child, translating her pain and grief in heartbreaking paintings. Frida had numerous medical conditions that she overcame, such as polio and the traffic accident when she was a teenager that caused her lifelong physical pain. However, these experiences never limited her ambitions and vision, if anything, they elevated her work and the voice she carries throughout her paintings. She explored themes that intersected gender, class, and race. She explored her Mexican identity not only through her artwork but also her fashion. Frida embodied all parts of her identity as well as her personal life. Frida was famously married to artist Diego Rivera, but their matrimony was anything but perfect. She was unafraid to explore these themes and I think that is one of the main reasons her voice still stands so strong today, nearly 63 years after her death.
You can find Frida’s image almost anywhere nowadays beyond the busy streets of Mexico City. I have been fortunate to travel to Spain, Argentina, and Brazil where her face is plastered on t-shirts, purses, and jewelry. However, I do not have to go far from home to find her on the murals aligning alleyways and large buildings in San Francisco or along busy highways in Los Angeles. It makes me orgullosa to see Frida appreciated in different cities around the world. A Mexican woman who was authentically herself in many ways. As a first generation Mexican-American woman, I see myself in the pain of Frida's artwork and the proud way Frida expressed her culture. As I get older with more experiences resting on my shoulders, I am beginning to understand how she used her pain, suffering, and joys to identify herself within a male-dominated industry. She created a name for herself back then and continues to be a feminist icon for many like myself today.
From my discovery of her existence to my appreciation of her most breathtaking pieces of art work, Frida is the epitome of a Latina feminist icon. As a proud Mexican woman from Mexico City, her artwork and her existence represent a woman who never hid away from her culture and as I always like to say, wore her heart on her sleeve. Gracias Frida por tu voz, tu imagen y tu talento que nunca olvidaremos. ("Thank you Frida for your voice, image, and talent that we will never forget.")
"Pies para que los quiero si tengo alas para volar" - Frida Kahlo
