Callas and the self

In a sense, a self resembles a wardrobe: we pick up bits and pieces of identity along the way and, as long as these elements fit and are suitably stylish, we will wear them for the time being.
James J. Dowd, “Aporias of the Self”

Callas and fashion

I recall that one day she came to Hélène Rochas’s home wearing bright green pants and a sweater. It was appalling: She didn’t have the figure for pants. But it didn’t matter: The halo of her legend surrounded her. No one looked at her clothes. We saw a myth come to life. She wasn’t a brilliant conversationalist. One could sense the effort she made to be proper, her thirst for recognition. She sought to persuade the world that her elegance and distinction were innate. She surely never played a more difficult rôle.
Karl Lagerfeld

There is a set of Maria Callas paper dolls on the market! I will acquire it and tell you what I learn. Apparently, the set embraces both the “fat” and the “thin” Callas.