My Friend, Frida

By Anna Verveniotis '24

As I walk into the class, rushing to find an empty seat, the nerves I feel are indescribable. This is my first day as a Freshman at Notre Dame, and as I look around the room I don’t recognize anyone.  It also doesn’t help that everyone is wearing a mask. I put my bag down while trying to calm the butterflies in my stomach. This is when I look at the desk to my left and see a sign that reads “This seat is reserved for Frida Kahlo” and a picture featuring the famous Mexican artist. At that moment, I remember learning about her remarkable life story. 

What had stuck with me the most about her life was her persistence. Frida never stopped painting, even after being diagnosed with a chronic illness and disability, as she was forced to stay in bed and deal with pain for most of her life. This made me reflect on how important it is to never give up on doing something you love. Kahlo was also very involved in politics, which was hard for a woman at that time. Frida also dealt with sexism in her life and her work, as she was always referred to as “the wife of master mural painter (Diego Rivera)”, even though she was a successful artist in her own right. Unfortunately, it wasn’t until after she died when she became known for her most personal work. One-third of her paintings were self portraits, showing off her iconic unibrow and mustache, both of which went against the beauty norms at the time, and even today. When critics called her a “surrealist”, she responded with “I never paint dreams. I paint my own reality,”  demonstrating how important it is to be confident and defy the stereotypes that society imposes. Frida finally started to receive the recognition she deserved during the 1970s, with the rise of feminism.  Her art has empowered countless women all over the world.

Frida never let her health challenges stop her passion

I don’t think it was a coincidence that I sat next to Frida on my first day of high school. Thinking about Frida Kahlo’s successful life and her resilience reassured me that I am going to make it through Freshman year, even if it seems hard in the beginning.

Editors: Natalia Cseh, Cecilia Fiorindo, Ms. Brilliant

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