As a Zapotec womxn who comes from generations of weavers, I’ll NEVER ignore my elders or my communities voices over historical accounts not written by my people to justify the harm Frida Kahlo enacted on our communities.

So Frida fans can drop all the articles & books they want, but none of them are written by my people so this lens comes from a colonial lens not an Indigenous lens.

Also if you mention how in Oaxaca they loved her, but your only context is Oaxaca City, you are ignoring the role tourism has played on what is painted on murals & which narratives ar ecommodified for money.

You can continue to love Frida Kahlo, wear her paintings on your shirts, etc. no one is cancelling her. However, DO NOT feel entitled to dimiss my people when we critique the harm she did on our communities. There is a reason why folks label our regalia “Frida Style” no?

Also don’t label our voices as “personal political opinions” bc this is ignoring how our “opinions” are formulated through our elders teachings, our traditional teachings, & our relationship with our communities.

Also, our critiques also don’t invalidate the life she endured filled with tragedies. Our critiques stem from our own personal lived experiences as Indigenous pueblos from who she utilized our aesthetics & traditional regalia to claim her worldwide recognition as an artist.

She never once identified as Indigenous so please stop trying to stamp an identity she never claimed onto her to invalide my people or call us “gatekeepers” You just don’t make someone Indigenous bc you say they are lol

Invalidate*

And while you are here (listening or trying to argue), you can instead donate to our Zapotec pueblos who just experienced multiple earthquakes during this pandemic. https://twitter.com/doctora_nature/status/1279203602817417216?s=21 https://twitter.com/doctora_nature/status/1279203602817417216