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Why did Frida Kahlo begin wearing traditional Tehuana clothing?

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Frida Kahlo stands at an easel, holding a paintbrush and working on a portrait of a woman in a white dress, looking toward the camera. — Frida Kahlo Mexican artist Frida Kahlo painting a portrait of Jean Wight in 1931; the work depicts the wife of artist Clifford Wight, who assisted Diego Rivera, Kahlo's husband, when he was painting a number of murals throughout the United States.

Frida Kahlo began wearing traditional Tehuana clothing around the time of her marriage to Diego Rivera in 1929. Her adoption of this attire was closely linked to her embrace of Indigenismo, an ideology that gained popularity following the Mexican Revolution and advocated for a prominent social and political role for Mexico’s Indigenous population.12

By wearing these traditional garments—which typically included a flowered headdress, a loose blouse, and a long ruffled skirt—Kahlo paid homage to her Indigenous heritage and signaled her interest in Mexican folk art. This shift in personal style represented a departure from the European fashion she had worn for most of her life, effectively making the Tehuana ensemble a hallmark of her public identity. Additionally, some scholars suggest that by adopting this look, Kahlo was also fulfilling the role of a traditional Mexican wife that she believed Rivera desired.12