In Defense of Frida Kahlo
āplease see my note on these images at the end of the post, because yes, this is a form of imitation for the sake of expressing desire to belong.
Frida Kahlo has become a difficult subject, some would argue an easy target- which to me is tragic because she wasĀ a person with a life and with struggles and today she can no longer defend herself.Ā I personally think she doesnāt have to.Ā I understand her as a historical figure that shaped Mexican history and the Mexican image. Lately I found myself understanding her on a different, more personal level when in October 2020 I came across an episode of the Nerdy Latinas Podcast, who were responding to a Tweet by an Indigenous Mexican woman accusing Frida of cultural appropriation.Ā My interest was piqued.Ā Ā
āFrida was Mexican. How is it appropriation?ā I thought.Ā Ā
In the episode, Chismeando About Frida Kahlo,Ā the hosts explore Fridaās background and a bit of her social context. I listened and I recommend you do too.Ā I gave a few comments to one of the hosts and was later invited to share my thoughts on the episode.*Ā Below is bit of background and my response to the episode follows after that.Ā Ā Ā
When I initially listened to the episode my gut reaction was to become defensive, protective of Frida, despite not having had a single artifact of hers (my stance on purchasing her work or her image is a different story).Ā I began to explore those feelings, and once I talked myself through this gut reaction, I realized this is actually very much worth exploring.Ā Itās important to take into account the complexity of the social, personal, and historical context that Frida was experiencing and a part of.Ā Ā
One of the things the Nerdy Latinas brought up was the fact that Mexican schools during Fridaās childhood emphasized that the indigenous cultures of Mexico were the true cultures of Mexico.Ā Frida, it is well-known, is half german and half Mexican. This conflict in identity was something that I deeply related to as a Mexican woman born in the US.Ā Ā
They pointed out that there were indigenous women who spoke out about Fridaās use of their clothing at the time, but were ignored. In the same episode, they talk about how indigenous women who make these clothes live off the sale of their indigenous clothing- Which makes me think,Ā who is allowed to buy or not buy these clothes?Ā It reassured me that there is more to cultural appropriation than simply wearing or using things ānot intended for youā.Ā Does intent matter? How are we verifying a personās, in this case Frida Kahloās, intent? Short answer is, we canāt really.
Ā Later in the episode, they ask the question, why arenāt other dark-skinned Mexican women artists spoken about?Ā There are many indigenous artists that were overshadowed by Frida.Ā An important example they bring up isĀ Maria IzquierdoĀ (ees-kee-ehr-doh). She was a contemporary of Fridaās and a student of Diego Rivera.Ā She was doing well in her time andĀ āshowing promiseā according to Diego himself. But when she spoke out against Fridaās feminist group Izquierdo lost a prestigious art commission to Diego Rivera and his male artist friends.Ā I consider this claim of overshadowingĀ pretty unfair,Ā because itās not entirely up to Frida who gets seen or not. And if weāre being perfectly honest, Diego and his friends probably jumped at the opportunity to take it for themselves.
She is still, after the paint dries, a woman in a white manās world.Ā Ā
In my response, I come from a personal perspective with a lifetime of identity crises to fuel it.Ā I focus in on the question of whether Frida can be accused of appropriation as well the concept of appropriation itself.Ā Ā
Is it fair to say that Frida had all the cards in her hands?
Is it productive to be upset over her perceived appropriation when there is so much today that is so blatantly grossly appropriated and mocked from my culture?Ā
āI definitely think itās worth exploring Fridaās Use of clothing. I think, understandably, it brought up a lot of personal feelings because itās something that I personally grapple with; this idea that my appearance could constituteĀ grounds for appropriation.
ā¦I think when Hispanic*** Americans learn about negative criticisms of Frida Kahlo they take the criticisms personally because thatās what they and myself includedā¦, understood it looked like to be Mexican.Ā
And if sheās wrong about her use fo clothing, it canāt easily be understood as an homage or as uplifting or as an act of rebellion against the whitewashing of the Mexican culture, which i think is something that is important when you live outside of Mexico.Ā I think hispanic peopleāwe just want to take care that our culture and our identity doesnāt get erased. so without the clothing that Frida wore the rest of us have only what we are calling the colonizerās version of how to present ourselves as Mexicans.Ā
Additionally, I didnāt really find her mixed ethnicity all that significant because since Mexicoās inception as a hispanic country most if not all non indigenous Mexicans are mixed.Ā Ā
our DNA is a map of people having been invaded, transcontinental travel in Europe, and slavery,Ā
so i never really understood Frida as a white woman, even though her father was german. Iām 48% indigenous, the rest is North African, Europeanāand on top of that Iām born in the US. Thatās all to say that Mexican is a complex ethnicity but itās Mexican all the same.Ā I do see Frida as separate from indigenous and Iām also understanding that the way a person lives the culture is important.Ā Personally, I feel sometimes I canāt consider myself Mexican if Iām not living the cultural practices. I find it hard to justify, for example, celebrating Day of the Dead.Ā In contrast, I feel a responsibility to connect with those aspects of my culture in order to feel like I belong somewhere, or I know who I am, what my point of view is, and what I could do in order to impart a positive view of my culture to the Americans watching me now.Ā Ā
My thoughts are maybe Frida [thought so] too.Ā In a way, maybe that was her intention. This episode brings up the idea of a crisis of identity for Frida and I think because she was born in a time when Europeanism**Ā was being criticized heavily her schooling was perhaps in reaction to that.Ā To give you a very popular example, the poem La Calavera GarbanceraĀ° most commonly known as La Calavera Catrina was written by Jose Guadalupe Posada around when Frida was born.Ā That icon we have today (La Catrina) was actually a symbol of derision for Mexicans adopting European values.Ā And I think when youāre taught certain ideals in the wider space in which youāre meant to integrate, itās going to create a conflict between the way youāre raised and how you would like to see yourself in order to fell like you belong.Ā So a personal example would be me growing up in the US.Ā Saying the word Mexican was like saying a dirty word. For a very long time I was convinced that I should be ashamed of saying that.Ā I tried more and more to become what was considered American- which was synonymous with beingĀ ācorrectā and for that I have been called a coconut or whitewashed by the same people who would deride me for being so Hispanic.Ā
Today I want to undo all of that,Ā
