OOTD: Nautical blue

Kaixo!

Welcome to my first OOTD post! These pictures were taken in the capital of my province, Donostia-San Sebastián. I 100% recommend visiting, it used to be the jewel of the crown in the XIXth century, when queen Maria Cristina vacationed here. It is also the 2016 European capital of culture! We have an international movie festival (I have waited for hours to see Ben Stiller, Brad Pitt, Meryl Streep, Tarantino, etc. SO WORTH IT) and amazing food. It is also a place of great style, which ranges from surfer/hipster styles to traditional preppy/comfy styles. That is what I tried to portray in my outfit:

Tunic: ZARA // Jeans: American Eagle Outfitters (old, similar here) // Sneakers: Converse // Watch: Fossil (old) // Sunglasses: Nordstrom (12$! Unavailable but similar here) // Earrings: Kate Spade New York (similar here) // Handbag: Kate Spade New York (similar here)

I'm in love with this tunic. It can be worn by itself for the beach or with jeans or leggings for a more city-like look. I combined it with simple jeans and my white (ahem) Converse and my new sunglasses from Nordstrom. A nice 1960s touch!

Although Donostia is beautiful, weather is very cloudy/rainy here, and unfortunately yesterday was not an exception. However, it was also a wonderful day because my friend J from Chicago is here visiting! She just finished her MA in Hispanic Literature (mine is linguistics) and she is soon moving to Denver for law school, but before that, she's revisiting Europe! I will miss her next year, but we can always watch Legally Blonde and think about the good times ;)

The two of us!

Also, I got new stationery for next year! I have noticed that I enjoy taking notes in small notebooks rather than paper in binders, so I got this beautiful one based on The Great Wave off Kanagawa by Hokusai:

#Matching

I cannot wait to start writing about phonology and other linguistics stuff in here! (#nerdalert) I hope you guys are not horrified with my first OOTD post. Have a great day!
Love,

- Ane

My two cents on the whole Caitlyn Jenner media explosion and its repercussions

Kaixo!

As I mentioned in my first post, I enjoy fashion, a lot. But as a global citizen that I consider myself to be, I believe that being informed about current issues is a MUST. Recently, former Olympian and reality show star Bruce Jenner came out as a transgender woman "for all intents and purposes."

Although at the time (April 2015) he preferred the use of the masculine pronouns, in the latest Vanity Fair issue (June 2015), she has become Caitlyn Jenner.

Caitlyn Jenner is beautiful. Caitlyn Jenner is on her way to happiness. Caitlyn Jenner has freed herself from the shackles that her biological sex had put her in. Caitlyn Jenner is transgender. Caitlyn Jenner is a woman. If we just took into account the statements I have written above, which are over simplistic representations of what a transgender person should feel and should be accepted as, there would not be a discussion. However, media has exploded.

We are talking about how an Olympian champion, married 3 times and father to 6 children who has been part of many Americans' home entertainment, has become a woman. Many claim she is a hero. Many claim she is just pulling a publicity stunt. Many will not call her Caitlin, they will keep calling her Bruce. And of course, we have the backlash of the transgenderism taboo.

This is my opinion:
- Heroism: We all have a different concept of what a hero is. Single mothers who work 3 jobs to take care of their children. Soldiers who put their lives first in order to protect a country. Missionaries. Selfless people. They all contribute to society in different ways and in different degrees, but the most important thing is that they make a difference in the life of somebody. Caitlyn Jenner IS a hero because she has made a difference in her own life. She is her own hero, a hero for herself. The struggle to find yourself in a body that does not feel yours and the anxiety and depression that come with it must be inimaginable. Anxiety and depression make you wish you could to take off and switch off your brain for a rest. It does not feel right. Imagine wanting to take off your body.

- Publicity stunt: It is true that the sex reassignment of Caitlyn has yet again, put the Kardashians in the spotlight. I am personally not a fan. And I am sure that the revenue that this has given them must be staggering. However, we are not talking about a photoshoot, a contract with X clothing brand or *gasp* another porn video. We are talking of children whose father figure is a woman. Even more specifically, somebody who used to be a man. It is definitely life-changing for many of the closest people in her life. Could a human being go that far for money? I doubt it.

- Denial of pronoun use and name: Language is powerful. As a linguist, I cannot stress this enough. The whole "sticks and stones" thing is a blatant lie. One word, one phrase, it may change your day, your week, your life. Not using "she", "her" and "Caitlyn" denies the identity of an individual. Since birth, each individual acts and reacts in different ways to shape his/her identity. When you deny somebody's gender identity, you are denying a massive part of this person.

- Transgender issues: Transgenders comprise a 2-5% of the population, yet very few of these undergo sex reassignment surgery. I mean, not even Caitlyn Jenner has undergone a full sex reassignment.

However,  "A nationwide survey of bias-motivated violence against LGBT people from 1985 to 1998 found that incidents targeting transgender people accounted for 20% of all murders and about 40% of all police-initiated violence." Transgender Law

Look at that. Many visible transgender advocates like Laverne Cox (total fangirl moment, God I love her) have been pointing out the issue for ages. Being a transgender person is HARD. It exposes you to crime, abuse, rape and murder to unimaginable extents. Your gender identity, who you are, is making you vulnerable to a violent life (and/or death), not to be accepted in jobs, to being shunned from society and even your family. Now, who would choose a life like that? It is not a capricious act. It is not a selfish act. Is it selfish to save yourself from the pain that not living in the body you were meant to have? Is it selfish to make your life bearable at all? It is not.

Now this is my opinion. Many people do not agree, and will not agree even if they start thinking about the points I have expressed here. In any case, Caitlyn Jenner is an independent person, and if you don't like it, you don't look at her. Simple as that. As they say in Spanish, vive y deja vivir. Caitlyn Jenner, you do yo.

Love,

- Ane

Lilly Pulitzer Picks for Summer '15

Sorry for my extended hiatus, I just got home from the Midwest! While still battling the effects of jet-lag (shout out to my 4am crew), and even though I'm at the cradle of the best cuisine in the world ever, I have found myself missing some of my American staples (Chipotle, biscuits, pancakes, and breakfast food in general). Another thing that I've been missing is American fashion stores. It is true that now that I have a Zara 5 minutes away (let me remind you all that Zara is WAY cheaper here), but while living in the Midwest, I have started to grow fond of brands like J. Crew (J. Crew Factory has been a life-changer), AEO (their jeans >>>> everything) and Lilly Pulitzer.

While J. Crew and AEO's styles look pretty standard and very similar to Spanish stores like Zara or Stradivarius, Lilly Pulitzer is a whole different story. At first, I thought the prints were too obnoxious, I admit it. I still think there are prints that are too much for me (navy and white lover of all simple things), and I cannot see myself wearing pants that aren't jeans. It's like someone put the brightest colors that Pantone can think of in a bucket, mixed them and threw them to a white canvas. And boom! Lilly Pulitzer! Until I moved to the US, my style used to be somewhat somber. I do not mean all black all day everyday and life sucks and emo paraphernalia, but I had never been a fan of prints over solids. Maybe very soft florals, but that was it. However, after moving to the US, I started to notice that hey, including a pop of color to my very basic, pattern-less outfit will not make me look like a walking rainbow, right? And there started my love affair with Lilly Pulitzer. From accessories, Murfee scarves, and my beloved agenda to my oh! so beautiful graduation dress, I have seen my style evolve from shy colors to bring the pink (my favorite color) and make boys wink! (I actually have no idea if boys wink when I wear Lilly Pulitzer but honestly, I could not care less).

In any case, Lilly Pulitzer is still very EXPENSIVE. Yes, very. I am no trust-fund kid, my graduate studies are taken care of with a tuition waiver that comes from being a teaching assistant, and my salary, although it allows me to live in the middle-of-nowhere Midwestern town I live in, could be higher (hey trustees, raise our salaries!). In any case, since I just graduated (and you don't graduate every year, am I right?), I decided to treat myself and get some nice Lilly Pulitzer showstoppers:

Whiting Cut-Out Shift Dress, 138$

And here some bonus pics of my beautiful self wearing the dress for my graduation :)

MA in Hispanic Linguistics

Probably the most American thing I've ever done

Extra pic, WE DID IT! (Please read in Elle Woods voice)

This is my first Lilly Pulitzer dress, and I gotta say I was pleasantly surprised. It is very very soft and it has a retro vibe that makes me feel like a pop star from the 1960s. Although the image does not show, it has a small cut-out in the back which gives it a fun touch. It is rather short (but well, I'm 5'8ft so there is not much to do about that), but that will be perfect for summer days and nights!

Iona Sleeveless Silk Shell, 148$

I have noticed Lilly shells last Spring, but unfortunately I didn't get one. Also, I didn't have the perfect graduation excuse. But this year, after seeing many bloggers sporting this piece, I said, heck! Bring it! And I'm in love. It looks BEAU-TI-FUL and it goes perfectly with my navy obsession clothing.

I cannot wait to go back to the States to get some more LP stuff. Like an agenda (I am TORN and I need help, but that will be discussed in another post), some shorts and this:

Skipper Printer Popover, 98$

No idea which print I will choose, but this has to be in my closet ASAP.

Love,

- Ane