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  • Essay / Frida Kahlo and the impact of her achievements on the world

    Frida Kahlo, 1907 - 1954, is Mexico's best-known figure; an acclaimed artist, activist, feminist, bisexual and disabled person who has faced enormous physical pain and personal upheaval in her life. In coping with this, she was able to uniquely transmute all of this raw feeling into her paintings and self-portraits, but she was only truly received as brilliant after her untimely death at age 47. The impact of Frida's achievements can be felt around the world, but particularly in marginalized groups, in her brand, and in the public personas developed by modern celebrities, also known as "Fridamania." Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essayFrida Kahlo was born in Coyoacan, Mexico on July 6, 1907 and died on July 13, 1954 due to complications with her. illness or suicide. Frida was born of mixed Latina and Eastern European heritage. Her downward spiral, in terms of physical health, began when she was 6 years old when she contracted polio and as a result her right leg became significantly weaker than her left. But her disability did not prevent her from pursuing a degree in medical sciences at the National Preparatory School in Mexico City in 1922, where she was one of only 35 students. While on the bus with school friends in 1925, Frida was involved in a tragic bus accident which severely damaged her body and caused her severe chronic physical and emotional pain throughout her life. After the accident, she spent 3 months in a full body cast and taught herself to paint in her disabled state to pass the time. Frida later met Diego Rivera in 1927 and asked him for advice on her paintings. He encouraged her and they soon began a love affair that led to their marriage. The marriage that followed was riddled with infidelity, but they mostly stayed together until Frida's marriage. premature death. Frida Kahlo was also a devoted communist, as she joined the Mexican Communist Party when she was very young, and her personal beliefs were heavily influenced by Karl Marx. Extremely modern interest in Frida Kahlo came with the rise of feminism in the 1970s and a reevaluation of her work, but her real entry into the mainstream occurred with the publication of a biography in 1983. Frida Kahlo as a brand can be seen everywhere. , from films, plays and operas to murals, books and shoes. The commercialization of Frida Kahlo is certainly problematic and ironic, but we can nevertheless see through it her impact on the world. The adaptation of Frida in and on products and media has somewhat problematically whitewashed her and her ideals, she is seen as a cool arty feminist and her more controversial aspects, such as her communist beliefs, her disabilities and her sexuality, have been largely ignored to make it more marketable. This image of Frida began in 1983 when her biography, which launched her into the mainstream, fictionalized her and gave more importance to her personal story than her artistic story, and thus made her mark more accommodating to people. Currently, The Frida Kahlo Corporation owns the rights to Frida's image and name, many fans believe that they use her brand too liberally and only do it for the money, with the release of licensed merchandise Notable “disrespectful” people like a whitewashed Frida Kahlo Barbie. , a Snapchat filter and pads. The reason forThe reason the Frida Kahlo company gets away with excessive licensing is that everyone buys the products. Frida is everywhere, whether people know it or not, her influence is in fashion with Gucci, in various books on art/surrealism, opera, plays, ballet and biopics. Its impact is seen most literally in licensed makeup, alcohol, stamps, costumes, shoes, socks, lip balm, hats, and even fake unibrows. Frida and her brand have had an impact on the world, as evidenced by the thousands of Frida products that exist, even though they undoubtedly detract from her artistic and "real" image. Frida Kahlo is an icon for marginalized groups like the LGBTQIA+ community, the disabled community and Latinx, she has impacted them with her works, her personality, her fashion, her sexuality and her actions. Frida is considered an icon for people with disabilities due to the many illnesses and physical hardships she endured, including her polio, her tragic bus accident, and what may have been spina bifida. Their take on her sees her frequently showcase her disabilities in paintings like “Self-Portrait with the Portrait of Doctor Farill” and “The Broken Column” where you can see her in a wheelchair and in a medical corset. Frida is heralded as an icon of the LGBTQIA+ community due to her apparent relationships with both men and women and her expression of gender, sexuality and non-conformity in her paintings. Frida is known as an icon to all Latinx people, due to her heritage, her use of Mexican culture in her aesthetic and paintings, her known love for her country, and her respect for the indigenous Mexican people. All of these groups see Frida in a different way but they are all impacted by her lifestyle, her doing nothing other than what she wanted to do, her use of taboo subjects in her works and her mixed manner to his use of beauty and strength. made them more accessible and acceptable and people identified with the strength she had. Frida Kahlo's impact is seen in the public personas developed by contemporary artists, otherwise known as "Fridamania". During Frida's lifetime, she crafted and cultivated her image so that people would think of her the way she wanted: a victim but also a survivor. She did this through her physical appearance; her unshaven one-brow and mustache, traditional Mexican dresses, shawls and headdresses are iconic and were carefully designed by Frida to convey to the world that she is non-conformist, courageous, cultured and unique. She has also nurtured her image through her public actions and rumors surrounding her well-being and sexuality, as well as her paintings which explore themes of femininity, sex, gender, race, imperialism , suicide and miscarriage, always showing Frida with a strong and stoic face. expression. Fridamania involves fascination or obsession with a celebrity, their life, their pain, and their products. Frida is definitely one of them because she is still celebrated, mourned and purchased 65 years after her death. In contemporary times, she is an icon for many groups and people who validate their struggles through their perception of her character, a person who struggled in life but remained resilient, even though that character has changed in recent times. years. Artists imitate what Frida did to cultivate a public image, they develop a “theatre of the self”, Madonna particularly did this in the 90s, when she was actively promoting LGBTQI+ rights and releasing music like “Vogue” in 1991 which exposed their community to the great.