I’ve often found that style is often correlated with beauty. But it’s not the features of the person, but rather how one might make you feel. Have you ever met someone, that structurally maybe doesn’t have the greatest features, or even their style of dress is outside the norm, but the way they make you feel is what really attracts a person, and in turn is then also respected for their style? For without a sense of greatness, one would go almost completely unnoticed.
Throughout history there have been many great women celebrated for their beauty, made iconic by their actions and followers. But what was it exactly that has drawn people to these distinct great people in our rich history. what is it that makes a person great? Is there a formula that is passed subcons
...ciously through the human race, if all men and women are created equal, shouldn’t we all have the ability to be great? I will use 5 examples of women to argue my case. And represent their style, beauty, and the efforts of their energy that created the mass hysteria surrounding them. I do however use my last example of a woman of current history just in order to support my thesis.
I’ve always been drawn to women, it’s just been something I’ve always gravitated to ever since I was young. There’s something about being male and having a healthy obsession about the opposite sex. And not from a sexual point, but just something sought out of favor. My whole life I’ve always had one female in my life that I held taller than all others. A sort of worship, honoring if
you will. It’s always just felt so natural. Like a divine intervention, urging me to worship another, a queen. Some of my queens have died, left, or even were replaced by another. But there was always one that I would honor. Why is this? Why the need to hold a woman in such regards. Why not a man. I think it’s difficult for men to worship men.
I think there can be admiration towards another male. But I would never put one on a pedestal. Maybe my thought pattern goes outside the norm, but I’ve always felt women were closer to God. If man was born from woman, then woman was born from God. Therefore, in in honoring woman, we are in turn honoring God. But we as a society degrade women. Or anyone in a position of power. Power is given to those that are the most deserving.
Frida Kahlo
One of the greatest artists of all time, Frida Kahlo, is also known for staying true to her heritage and for depicting herself and the struggles of the female experience without any compromise. Even though Kahlo’s works combine elements of classical religious Mexican tradition with surrealists’ elements, she always rejected the “surreal” label saying that her work reflected more of her reality than her dreams. Without suffrage, women in Mexico had no officially sanctioned political life and were consequently limited to a domestic role. There was a strict separation between the genders in society both publicly and privately, which makes Kahlo’s work all the more radical as she steps outside the comfort zone of what was expected from a woman. Self-portrait with Cropped Hair 1940, Here Kahlo
explores the social construct of a “woman”. With this painting she is challenging and interpreting the cultural definition of femininity.
This self-portrait Kahlo eliminates all the social norms of being a woman in society. She does this by cropping all her hair which is one of the defining elements of a female, loses the Mexican dresses for which many of her paintings hold and losing the modest posture instead taking a stern stance. Transgression is seemed even till this day a very daring act even though cross dressing dates back to biblical scripture (Deuteronomy 22:5). The way a person dresses places them in different social classes and enables people to differentiate the gender split. Even though we are in the 21st century there’s certain garments that a male generally wouldn’t wear such as skirts, dresses, corsets and tights etc. and vice versa, in order to stay with social norms and be easily accepted.
So here in this painting Kahlo is being very bold by dressing herself in an oversized man’s suit and holding a pair of scissors where normally a fan would be seen. Kahlo’s gaze is stern and straight towards the viewer engaging them and almost forcing them to see her as a female. She holds a lot of power in this painting and she does this simply by her confidence in her stance she purposefully has her legs spread apart to resemble confident masculine qualities. By placing her-self in this type of dressing and manipulating her body in this way she is ultimately declaring her independence. And even after the act of cutting the hair is done she still holds on to the scissors implying
that she is deliberately making the viewer aware that she physically did this to symbolize her cutting away parts of her femininity.
However not all is lost she still keeps her earrings and her high heeled shoes to leave somewhat of an indication that she is still a female even after this transformation, as if not to let go completely of what she really is. Her face gives little away about her emotions or feelings, yet she boldly renders herself in such shocking paintings of herself. She does this intentionally to give a sense of ambiguity.
“The lines from a popular song painted above the figure of Kahlo point out how women’s status relies upon elements of social signification (clothing, conduct, physical beauty), and how resistance to prescribed modes of behavior is rewarded with, in this case emotional disenfranchisement”. (Sarah M. Lowe 1991:59) It reads look, if I loved you it was for your hair now that you’re bald I no longer love you. The hair which splattered across with no control all over the floor around her is demanding attention and representing the freedom she feels.
