If you're as glued to the insta-tube as I am, chances are you've seen Linga Franca's embroidered sweaters on some form of social media. It was just last month when I took many a screenshot (how most of my research is done - I'm just such a *MilLeNnIaL*) of these statement sweaters after they populated my news feed during the Women's March. Rachelle Hruska MacPherson is the mastermind behind the brand, which began by merging rap lyrics with 100% cashmere until recently when "the resistance sweater" collection was born.
The term "lingua franca" means a bridge language used to make communication possible between two people who don't share a native language. Now eso si me gusta because if you over-analyze everything like I do, the name picks up on the idea that she who wears the sweater presumably chooses a message to communicate to another who is not fluent in the same background or life experience that forms the opinion behind said message (still with me, Bueller?). With the end intention of finding some common ground (or at the very least an "well I'll give you that" concession), Lingua Franca succeeds in provoking dialogue in today's topsy turvy political climate, and it does so in my favorite medium (fash-un!).
So when the time came to decide whether I was going to take the plunge (and a fiscal plunge it certainly is, although arguably justified with the charitable donation aspect), I knew to wait for the right message and the right audience. Then came the invitation to last Friday's luncheon for Annie's List, an organization dedicated to getting more women to run for public office in Texas, where none-otha than Hillary Clinton spoke. Now, regardless of your feelings on the big H and in keeping with the spirit of finding a bridge language, I will make two points I hope all readers can agree on: 1) getting to be in the audience during a Hillary speech surrounded by impassioned females makes for an awesome lunch break and 2) getting more women to serve as our elected officials makes for a very worthy cause.
Which message did I end up going with? You gotta fight for your right, of course. The Beastie Boys boys perhaps said it best, and the rights I feel like I'm fighting for are endless: to party (le duh), to blog, to not bill every hour of my life, to be in good standing with the women-supporting-women bandwagon, so on and so forth.
As Lingua Franca makes evident, a lot of power can be tucked behind certain quotes and lyrics, which makes it all the more fitting that Hillary quoted Ann Richards (late governor of Texas) who said: "Precious, get over it and get on with it." My new Monday mantra or the words for my next sweater? Probably both.
