Goddess in disguise: Transsociality and the aesthetics of living

Rosie used to say that there was nobody else like her. Her idiosyncratic way of living was an aesthetic recreation of the social that was partly informed by normative sociality while transgressing many aspects of it. She was an eccentric street fashion artist of Vilnius whose world and home were populated by animals and beautiful things. She spent a lot of time on the road. I introduce the concept of transsociality to analyze an idiosyncratic way of living that extended beyond normalized and institutionalized sociality. Discussion of transsociality allows us to revisit theories on sociality and reflect on the boundaries of the social. This article also makes a methodological contribution by illustrating how the interlocutor’s “voice” emerged in a material aesthetic—her fashion style—rather than through narrative stories. Strolling Vilnius for over forty years, Rosie was an icon across generations. Some people thought she was a goddess in disguise.