When I walk down the city lights of Chicago, I often would get asked, “Are you Latina?” or “How come you don’t have an accent when you speak in English if you’re not American?” I think some of the reasons why they think I’m Latina is because of how I look and the fact that I speak Spanish. For your information, the Spaniards colonized my country hundreds of years ago. I guess you can say that that’s one of the reasons why most of us women look like Latinas. For my part though, I may look like I’m Latina but that’s only because I have friends who are from Mexico, Spain, Cuba and Honduras. Most of the time, people see as a clique. However, what they truly don’t know is that I only know how to speak the basic of Spanish like, “Hola, como estas?” or, “Gracias para mi comida.” I find it fascinating the way people see me as but I very much like where I’m from. So, scroll on down to find out where Stella Fanega is actually from.

I was born in a country very well known for it’s unique culture, the beaches and of course, rice. I’m from the Philippines and yes, I am considered as Asian. I only lived in the Philippines for about six years because at the age of six, my mum and I first migrated to Bangkok, Thailand. We moved because it was economically better. I lived in Thailand for 12 years, which gave me the opportunity to be fluent in speaking Thai.

Now to all of you who wonder why I don’t have an accent when I speak in English: I went to an International school in Thailand, which was based on American Curriculum. Most of my teachers were Americans and I was, what most International students would call nowadays, “Americanized.”

Being a Filipino is something I am truly proud of. One thing that I am thrilled about is how people would dress back home. Us, Filipinos never really cared about what people would think about our outfits. We cared more about the style and class we have when wearing a certain type of apparel. To me, fashion is everything. I am and always will be the type of person who would dress up even though it’s –20 degrees outside or when it’s three to four feet of snow. Most of my friends on campus would always compliment me on how I look but at the same time they would call me, “crazy,” or “daring,” because no matter how cold it gets outside, I still have the motivation to look nice. I guess my mama is right: If you got it, flaunt it, and that’s exactly what I’m doing.

In this look, I am wearing a Forever 21 Black Vintage Long-Neck Dress with a Charlotte Russe Spiked Necklace. As for shoes, I am wearing my all-time favorite Valentino Noir Rockstud Cage Ballerina Flats that my mum got me for my 21st birthday. My mum also gave me her Neverfull MM Louis Vuitton bag.