A few weeks ago, I mentioned that I was going to talk about Anorexia in context of life at court. Recent history's most famous examples that pair eating disorders with monarchy include Lady Diana of Windsor and Letizia of Spain. I recorded this video in Vienna's Imperial Carriage Museum so as to underline how material wealth and political power (today that would translate also into simply social) by no means guarantees fulfilment. It certainly seems to have had the opposite effect on Empress Elisabeth of Austria (known better as "Sisi" or "Sissi"). Possibly the most exemplary case in point when it comes to the discontents of those locked in a golden cage, Sisi developed Anorexia and appears to have set a trend for the white and privileged modern woman who nevertheless seeks to escape her context.

Following up on the golden cage in relation to Anorexia Nervosa, as elaborated by the psychiatrist Hilde Bruch, I thought it apt to record a video within a space that bears witness to Sisi's figure, precisely because the context emanates "all the riches one could wish for".
Sisi's obsession was not limited to her slenderness and so, in addition to being responsible for the trend of the "wasp waist", she also set the trend for youth mania. In an attempt to escape the burden of endless rules and ceremonies expected of a first lady, Sisi's malaise manifested in excessive exercise, diets of chicken broth and oranges only and other selfdamaging behaviours. This is the euphemistic way of putting it. Recent literature and documentaries including psychologists' and psychiatrists' take on the Empress heavily support that she was, in fact, anorexic. An specific object that speaks more than a thousand words, is the black dress I focus on in this video. I hope it can serve as one illustration that glamour and health at times appear to contradict each other.

#goldencage #goldenage #anorexia #civilization #malaise

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Please note: The videos I am uploading to this channel are a reflection of my own experience. I am not a clinician, specialist in eating disorders or a psychologist but hope to raise awareness about topics that I have found to be intertwined in the large picture of disordered eating.