Frida Kahlo, the renowned Mexican artist and fashion icon, is celebrated for her vibrant self-portraits and traditional attire. Yet, a lesser-known aspect of her life is the significant time she spent encased in plaster corsets.

At 18, on September 17, 1925, Frida suffered a catastrophic accident when a bus she was on collided with a tram. Severely injured and confined to bed, she began painting during her recovery. Due to her fragile spine, she wore plaster corsets for most of her life, transforming them into canvases adorned with fabric scraps and vivid illustrations of tigers, monkeys, birds, a blood-red hammer and sickle, and streetcars reminiscent of the accident.

From 1944 onward, her doctors imposed extended bed rest, encasing her in various plaster or steel corsets to aid her posture. Frida often referred to these devices and their accompanying treatments as “punishment.” She used a total of twenty-eight corsets: one steel, three leather, and the rest plaster. One particularly restrictive corset prevented her from sitting or reclining, prompting her to remove it in frustration and use a sash to secure herself to a chair for support.

Frida’s spine endured further trials; once, she spent three months almost vertically positioned with sandbags attached to her feet to straighten her spine. Another time, Adelina Zendejas visited her post-surgery and found her suspended by steel rings, feet barely touching the ground, painting and joking despite her discomfort.

Additionally, Frida contracted polio at age six, which caused severe pain and left her right leg shorter and weaker, leading her to walk with a limp and hide her condition with long skirts. In August 1953, gangrene claimed her ailing leg, and it was amputated. Frida passed away a year later.

Today, her corsets are preserved in her iconic blue house, their embedded mirrors and intricate collages reflecting her world of pain and creativity. One corset even features a carved skylight near the heart, symbolising her enduring spirit.