Lisa Marie Presley often talked about her conflicted childhood as the daughter of Elvis and Priscilla Presley. Even though she idolized her father, her bond with her mother was tainted with emotional distance and uncertainty. This tension led Lisa Marie to question whether Priscilla’s initial feelings about being a parent shaped their relationship.
Priscilla married Elvis at a young age, and was under immense pressure to maintain her looks. Her fear of pregnancy ruining her figure caused her to consider taking extreme measures to prevent it. Lisa Marie was of the opinion that Priscilla’s reluctance had a lasting impact on her self-esteem and emotional stability.
Lisa Marie Presley reflected on her mother’s feelings
In her own words, Lisa Marie admitted to feeling unwanted from the very beginning of her life. She shared that she believed her mother’s anxieties during pregnancy, especially about her appearance and Elvis’s reaction, created a lingering disconnect that she could not shake, even into adulthood.
Lisa Marie wrote that she sensed a lack of maternal instinct in Priscilla and internalized that as a reflection of her own flaws. She even suggested that her mother’s hesitance and conflicted emotions may have been absorbed in utero.
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Priscilla Presley admitted her own fears
Priscilla later confirmed in interviews and her memoir Elvis and Me that she worried extensively about how pregnancy might affect her marriage. Elvis’s infamous disdain for pregnant women who “let themselves go” made her self-conscious about her appearance, leading her to diet while pregnant.
Although she was happy to see Elvis ecstatic about being a father, Priscilla feared that being a mother would negatively affect her looks. These internal struggles likely contributed to the emotional wall Lisa Marie lived behind for so many years. Sadly, the two never really resolved their complex relationship before Lisa Marie’s sudden death in 2023.