Edie Sedgwick (1943-1971) was known for her beauty, but also her pain and struggles throughout life. Andy Warhol immortalized her as one of his superstars.
Edie Sedgwick (1943-1971) was known for her beauty, but also her pain and struggles throughout life. Andy Warhol immortalized her as one of his superstars.
This month, we’re talking about muses–women who were drivers of creativity and inspiration. Once again, we’re proud to partner with Mercedes-Benz (whose famous namesake was inspired by a young muse named Mercedes). Tune in daily for stories of women whose lives inspired work that has shaped our culture.
History classes can get a bad rap, and sometimes for good reason. When we were students, we couldn’t help wondering... where were all the ladies at? Why were so many incredible stories missing from the typical curriculum? Enter, Womanica. On this Wonder Media Network podcast we explore the lives of inspiring women in history you may not know about, but definitely should.
Every weekday, listeners explore the trials, tragedies, and triumphs of groundbreaking women throughout history who have dramatically shaped the world around us. In each 5 minute episode, we’ll dive into the story behind one woman listeners may or may not know–but definitely should. These diverse women from across space and time are grouped into easily accessible and engaging monthly themes like Educators, Villains, Indigenous Storytellers, Activists, and many more. Womanica is hosted by WMN co-founder and award-winning journalist Jenny Kaplan. The bite-sized episodes pack painstakingly researched content into fun, entertaining, and addictive daily adventures.
Womanica was created by Liz Kaplan and Jenny Kaplan, executive produced by Jenny Kaplan, and produced by Liz Smith, Grace Lynch, Maddy Foley, Brittany Martinez, Edie Allard, Lindsey Kratochwill, Adesuwa Agbonile, Carmen Borca-Carrillo, Taylor Williamson, Ale Tejeda, Sara Schleede, and Alex Jhamb Burns. Special thanks to Shira Atkins.
Original theme music composed by Miles Moran.
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Just a heads up, this episode deals with themes of abuse and disordered eating.
Hello! From Wonder Media Network, I’m Jenny Kaplan, and this is Womanica.
This month, we’re talking about muses – women whose lives inspired work that has our shaped culture – in small ways and large
Today we’re talking about a woman who was known for her beauty, but also her pain and struggles throughout life. She had complicated relationships with men, who often saw her as someone who needed fixing. One man in particular immortalized her as one of his superstars.
Let’s talk about Edie Sedgwick.
Edie Sedgwick was born on April 20, 1943. She was the seventh of eight children born to Alice Delano de Forest and Francis Minturn Sedgwick. Both of her parents came from wealthy families, and Edie was raised with incredible privilege. But, that privilege came with a dark underside.
The Sedgwick family was afflicted by a history of mental illness and Edie’s childhood was very isolated and emotionally tumultuous. This didn’t improve when the family moved to Corral de Quati, a 3,000-acre ranch in Santa Barbara, California. In fact, it exacerbated the isolation. The ranch itself was removed from the outside world. The siblings were split up and lived in separate houses from each other and their parents.
Inside the walls of the ranch, the children were expected to follow strict and repressive rules. This extended to their education, which their father supervised. Their schooling further separated them from the outside world. They were taught in an English-style, instead of American, which meant they never quite fit in outside the walls of the ranch.
Edie’s struggles with mental health began in her childhood. Part of this emotional turmoil was due to her father’s abuse. Edie later claimed that her father began making sexual advances toward her as early as seven years old. Additionally, when Edie was a teenager, she caught her father having sex with another woman. When he saw Edie, Francis slapped her. He tried to deny what she had seen, and convince her that she was crazy. He even went so far as to have a doctor give her tranquilizers so she couldn’t talk about the transgression.
To cope with her turbulent home life, Edie turned to anorexia and bulimia. Her parents sent her to boarding school, but when the teachers found out about her eating disorders, she was sent back home. Her father kept her heavily medicated and locked in her room, while her mother infantilized her and gave her whatever she wanted.
Edie’s father checked her into the Silver Hill mental health facility in 1962. She was later moved to Bloomingdale psych ward at New York Hospital.
1964 was a pivotal year for Edie. She received an $80,000 trust fund from her grandmother, and moved to New York City.
Once in the big city, Edie spent her days taking dance classes, attending modeling casting events, and partying with her friends. In March of 1965, her partying led her to Andy Warhol. The two met at a birthday party for Tennessee Williams. Edie was 21 and Warhol was 36. He was looking for his “it girl”. And Edie was it. Warhol was taken aback by her beauty and immediately drawn to her. He would later write “one person in the ’60s fascinated me more than anybody I had ever known,” Everyone knew he was talking about Edie.
Warhol was famously obsessed with female stars. And he was particularly interested in Edie because she resembled Marilyn Monroe. Just a few years before meeting Edie, Warhol debuted his iconic famous painting Marilyn Diptych. Edie and Marilyn both had big wide eyes, platinum blonde hair, and milky white skin. And beyond the physical resemblance, they both exuded sex and a brokenness that men of all sexualities were attracted to and wanted to fix.
Just weeks after meeting Edie, Warhol invited her to join him on a trip to France for the opening of his Flowers exhibition. In the city o f love, their relationship flourished. Edie boosted Warhol’s confidence and his optimism. She broke his seemingly impenetrable stony mask and brought out a warm and hopeful side of him. She helped him find the courage to explore other artistic mediums when he mastered his current one.
In April 1965, Edie went to Warhol’s studio, known as the Factory, to watch a film shoot. In a split decision, Warhol included her in the film as an extra. Although her appearance was minimal, she was a hit.
From that moment at the Factory, Edie was Warhol’s 1965 “It Girl”. From 1965 to 1966, she starred as the leading lady in 18 of Warhol’s films, including Poor Little Rich Girl and Lupe. She was a natural in front of the camera.
But by the end of 1965, Warhol and Edie’s relationship had grown tense. Warhol hadn’t paid Edie for any of her work and as a result, she asked that he not show any of her feature films in public. After the split, Edie retreated from the limelight and got deeper into drugs.
She also had a short-lived fling with Bob Dylan. It’s rumored that Dylan wrote the songs “Just Like a Woman" and "Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat” about Edie.
By 1968, Edie had returned to California. A few years later, at her family’s ranch, Edie married Michael Post, whom she met in a psych ward.
Tragically, Edie Sedwick died of an overdose a few months later on November 16, 1971, at the age of 28.
All month, we’re highlighting muses. For more information, find us on Facebook and Instagram @womanicapodcast.
Special thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and co-creator.
As always, we’ll be taking a break for the weekend. Talk to you on Monday!