Why I’m Xandra

Chapter, Fashionably Light

Feb 21 2014

Gold Tape

Why I'm Xandra

Xandra is not my real name.

Well, it’s part of my real name.

It’s short for Alexandra.

The first time I introduced myself as Xandra was in April 2011.

I am not an Alex, and every time I introduced myself as Alexandra, a little part of me feared being called Alex.

I couldn’t blame them – four syllables is a lot to pronounce in this fast-paced age, especially in athletic or urgent situations. I know that people called me Alex in a chummy sort of way, not in a vindictive HA I know you hate this kind of way.

Why did it bother me so much? I just didn’t feel like an Alex. It’s as simple as that.

I do feel like a Xandra.

I didn’t at first. Xandra felt beyond me, like a cooler version of me. Xandra could be a fantasy literature heroine or the name of a sleek North Face waterproof.

I can be quite a serious person, and Alexandra reflects that, but I can also be whimsical, and Xandra illuminates that side of me. It’s a balance. I’m all about the structured fun. I am serious about fairy lights and ethical fashion in equal measure.

And I like wearing sparkly star hairbands, okay? It’s the kind of thing a Xandra would wear.

Xandra
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