Who's that girl? The Emancipation of Sisi (Commentary)

Everywhere you go in Wien, you'll see her photo on postcards. Who's she you might ask? Who's that girl? (Ok, don't play the Eurythmics song please).

She is the Empress of Elisabeth of Austria (1837 - 1898). There are two reasons for her popularity. One, because of her stunning and legendary beauty, which there were many stories of how she upkeep it. Two, she's the wife to one of the more popular and famous emperor of the Habsburg Dynasty, Franz Joseph (in German, "J" is pronounced like a "Y". So it's Yo-seph). She is also popularly known as "Sisi", as that's her nickname.

According to the audio guide in the Hofburg and Schönbrunn Palace, Empress Elisabeth from Bavaria was brought with her elder sister by her mother to see Franz Joseph's mother, with the intention to match-make her elder sister with Franz Joseph before he was coronated. However, Franz Joseph fell in love with Elisabeth instead, and ended up marrying her.

The marriage however, was apparently one-sided. Franz Joseph loved Sisi, but Sisi didn't really enjoy the marriage. She found court life especially stifling, and there were reports that it was mostly because her mother-in-law breathed down her neck and restricted her access to her children.

As a result, Empress Elisabeth had an appetite to travel, to escape the court life and her role as Empress. Though she wasn't at the side of the emperor, even at some official occasions, Emperor Franz Joseph still loved her very much.

Empress Elisabeth was known to keep to a strict exercise and diet regime to maintain her beauty and slim figure. The audio guide mentioned that she would spend about 2hours to wash and condition her ankle-length hair. Her room is also outfitted with exercise bars and hanging rings that you'll only see gymnast using (and put us guys to shame). She is also known to eat very little, sometimes drinking raw meat juice as meals to maintain her figure.

Empress Elisabeth died while she was travelling. She was assasinated by an Italian anarchist and bleeding. However, the legend and myths of her life and beauty still carries on, and very much commercialised.