A Julia de Burgos

Top: Banana Republic
Skirt: Gap
Belt: Banana Republic
Booties: Aldo
Bracelet: gift from my uncle
Earrings: Turkey

So, some weeks ago, there was an announcement about feminist fashion bloggers getting together to combine these two passions. I joined the Feminist Fashion Bloggers group, a decision that I though long and hard about, but ultimately took. Why would I think long and hard about something like this? Simple. It's because as a woman of color growing up the way I have (between continents and in a variety of socioeconomic settings), I feel that feminism is most often associated with a type of woman that I am not: the White, middle-class, well-educated woman from the US, Canada, or Western Europe.


But I do identify as a feminist - what I like to call a "Third World Feminist", so I joined. Because I figured the group needed a few more voices, yes? So, as part of this group, we're taking sartorial cues from a feminist fashion icon. So this is me liberally interpreting Julia de Burgos.

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How gorgeous was this woman? She was a poetess, one of the best in Latin America, and probably the best from Puerto Rico. One of her poems, "Ay, ay, ay de la grifa negra", comes to mind. It's about embracing who you are, your ancestors, and at the same time, recognizing the justice issues that play into ancestry, especially when you're Caribbean and racially mixed.


And then there's my personal favorite: A Julia de Burgos. This is the kind of thing that I so GET as a woman, as a Puerto Rican woman. We're from a culture where appearances matter for everyone (male or female), and there are certain ways of acting in public. But underneath it, there's more to us, a real us. Anyway, I took a stab at a translation here, so feel free to check it out.

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So today, she is my inspiration: a little boho, a little retro; a little bit of celebrating the natural texture of my hair, a lot of celebrating being a woman who can think and feel and write and live in two cultures and two countries.