Even in the middle of a war, a Bosnian woman holds her head high and never gives up her beauty. Never forget! (1992-1995)

 “I don't understand how a woman can leave the house without fixing herself up a little - if only out of politeness. And then, you never know, maybe that's the day she has a date with destiny. And it's best to be as pretty as possible for destiny.”
― Coco Chanel

The spirt of women from Sarajevo: keep your swagger at all times!

Photo Tim Stoddart: Even in the middle of a war, a Bosnian woman holds her head high and never gives up her beauty.

When Americans saw this photo, they thought this was Sophia Loren.
She was so beautiful and is also today. Her name is Mrs. Meliha Varesanovic, lives and works in Sarajevo and is my neighbor. Can't wait to do an interview with her.

At her young age

The entire Balkan region is known for its divine female beauty, but Bosnia and Herzegovina stands out above all. It is a multiethnic country whose women are now all across the world bewildering the international public with their attractiveness. During the war, the women wore makeup and refused to be brought down to a lower standard of living.

But the surreal elegance defies the reality of survival in a city where running water has been an intermittent luxury; where electricity is supplied sporadically; where simply being clean entails hauling water jugs from central pumping points in the city and, until only the last few weeks of a cease-fire, exposing oneself to shelling and snipers.

During nearly two years of war, appearing elegant has been a sub-battle of the cosmopolitan women of Sarajevo--a move of personal defiance against the often baffling powers that surround their lives. Here, women cling to the wish to look their best, groping for normalcy in a city pocked by mortar fire and constrained by an uncertain future.

Women fight in this way - be always beautiful no matter what...

With love,

Idda van Munster