06/09/2024
A WASP WAIST
Princess Sissi (or better to say “Sisi”) was obsessed with her beauty. Aware of the impact her slim and slender appearance had, Elizabeth sought to accentuate her figure even more. Fearing that her clothes were not tight enough and prone to forming unwelcome creases, she insisted that they be sewn directly onto her. Since she had to change her clothes frequently, this process could be repeated several times in a single day, and the simple act of fastening the corset could take up to an hour. In her later years, to maintain her slim hips, she slept in tightly fitted wet clothes. She also bathed in olive oil to keep her skin soft. Sissi was willing to make any sacrifice to maintain her wasp waist. She adhered to increasingly strict diets, to the point of consuming, as her niece Maria Luisa Larisch-Wallersee reported, “a dreadful mixture of five or six egg whites with salt.” During her travels, this diet remained unchanged down to the smallest details. Since Sissi did not want to forgo fresh milk even during long sea voyages, her favorite goat and cows were also brought on board.
Now, as slim and elegant as when she was alive, she watches people strolling along, enjoying the breeze on the shores of the lake. I am sure she dreams of entering every single chocolate shop and tasting all the bonbons and pralines, slowly, savoring each bite.
Ah, Sissi, if only you knew what you missed!
From Geneva with love ❤