Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo
The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at SBU chapter.

Most people know of Frida Kahlo as simply the artist with the unibrow. However, she was so much more than that. She was a brilliant artist who changed the Mexican art scene and paved the way for many female artists after her. Kahlo battled pain and suffering almost her entire life but channeled that struggle into her beautiful artwork. She leaves behind not only these pieces of art but also a lasting impact on many things in society. 

Many people don’t know that Frida Kahlo remains a feminist icon. Throughout her life, she lived unabashedly her way. She rejected what many people said she should look like, what she should wear, and what art she should create. Even in the 1900s, when gender inequality was standard practice, she refused to yield to anyone telling her how to live. 

Frida didn’t change her appearance based on what other people thought she should look like. She didn’t get rid of her unibrow or faint mustache that people often labeled too “masculine”. She rather embraced them, exaggerating them in her self-portraits which ended up being some of her most famous works. Her facial hair became one of the things that she is most recognized by. 

Even in her paintings, she touched on issues important to women, such as abortion, birth, and breastfeeding. Back during her time, these things were extremely taboo and never spoken about publicly. She published her work and stood by it, no matter how uncomfortable it made people feel. She expressed her experiences openly in her work and would not censor herself based on society’s standards. 

Many people admire her, not for her beliefs, but for the way she lived. By not caring what society thought of her, she allowed other women to follow in her footsteps to feel more comfortable expressing themselves in their own way. 

Along with being an icon for feminist ideas, Kahlo is also known for being “Mexico’s most famous bisexual”. While being married to Diego Rivera, she is known to have slept with both men and women outside of the relationship. There is speculation that one of her paintings, Two Nudes in a Forest, even depicts actress Dolores del Rio, her suspected girlfriend of the time, naked resting on the other figure’s lap. Later, notes were found that also suggested that she was in an intimate relationship with a painter from America. 

Kahlo was known for being unashamedly herself. This is what has cemented her in history. Not just her stance on feminist ideals or her sexuality. Only the fact that no matter what opposition she faced, she remained true to herself and didn’t let other people dictate what she was going to do. 

Abigail Taber is a second-year writer for the St. Bonaventure chapter of Her Campus. She enjoys writing about culture, entertainment, and the happenings in her college life. Abigail is excited to shadow the editing team this year and to be a part of such a cool organization that centers around the work and interests of women. Beyond Her Campus, Abigail is the poetry editor for the literary magazine on campus, The Laurel, a member of College Democrats, and SBU for Equality. Abigail has had her creative writing published in both her high school's and university's literary magazines. She is currently a sophomore at St. Bonaventure University, double majoring in English as well as Literary Publishing and Editing. In her free time, Abigail, or Abbey to her friends, enjoys reading, listening to music, and looking at art for her next tattoo. She is a music trivia master and a known enjoyer of any, and all, romance books. She hopes to pursue a career in publishing books in a big city. Growing up in a small suburb of Buffalo, New York, Abbey hopes to embody the city-of-good-neighbors attitude.