How Jackie Kennedy’s Cousins Became America’s Most Famous Recluses

Big Edie’s approach to social norms was unconventional long before Grey Gardens fell into disrepair. She delighted in scandalizing her wealthy Catholic family by performing barefoot at gatherings while wearing theatrical costumes instead of evening gowns. These performances, often held in her own home, blurred the line between entertainment and defiance.

While friends and acquaintances might have been amused, her more conservative relatives considered it inappropriate and unladylike. For Big Edie, such criticism was irrelevant. She valued expression over propriety, a mindset that would eventually define not only her public persona but also the atmosphere of the house itself.