I Want To But I Can’t (Quiero y no puedo)

The provocative and hilarious story of Spain’s pijos: who they are, how they dress, what they hide… and why deep down, we all want to look like one (even if we can’t).

Quiero y no puedo (I Want To But I Can’t) is a provocative, witty, and thoroughly documented portrait of one of the most recognizable (and least analyzed) sociocultural phenomena of contemporary Spain: the pijo universe (that could be translated as “posh” or “preppy”, but with the Spanish touch). This world is made up of people whose clothes, manners, language, and behavior affect an upper-class aesthetic, whether they belong to that class or not. Mixing journalism, historical essay, and plenty of irony, Raquel Peláez—journalist and cult author—delivers a sharp, entertaining, and surprisingly revealing account of how the symbols of privilege have colonized the aesthetics, language, and aspirations of an entire society.

The book unfolds in three stages—“I Can,” “I Want,” and “I Want To But I Can’t”—to explain how the Spanish upper-class imaginary has been constructed, from the days of Ferdinand VII to Froilán, the first grandson of King Juan Carlos I, passing through Andalusian señoritos, the Topolino girls, Tamara Falcó, Madrid’s Movida, the hipsters, and today’s cayetanos on Instagram. Through pop culture references, personal stories, and a sharp analysis of language, Peláez demonstrates that being pijo is no longer just about money, but about a lifestyle, a set of codes, and a collective obsession with appearances.

With her trademark lucidity, the author asks: what does it mean to be pijo today? Why does everyone want to look the part—even those who can’t? And why are we no longer ashamed to aspire to that model? In an era of growing inequality, pijería has become a disguise for survival, a mainstream aesthetic, and, in some cases, a political manifesto.

With humor, critique, and razor-sharp insight, Quiero y no puedo turns an apparently frivolous concept into a tool for better understanding Spain today. A delightful and illuminating read for those who enjoy pop culture, social analysis, and great storytelling.

RELEVANT INFORMATION: Raquel Peláez is a Spanish journalist and writer specializing in consumer issues, mass culture, and urban anthropology. Her latest book, Quiero y no puedo, is a revelatory essay on a phenomenon that goes beyond an archetype and reveals the true roots of class conflict in Spanish society. The book has been a major success and is already in its second edition.

The work could be adapted into a documentary series or a fictional comedy. Its ironic take on Spanish pijería fits perfectly with a thematic docuseries, with episodes exploring the subject through a mix of interviews, archival footage, and humorous voiceover narration combined with social analysis. The personal stories that feed the book could also be adapted into a fictional comedy, somewhere between satire and social critique.

AUDIOVISUAL POTENTIAL: TV Series, Miniseries, Feature Film, TV Film.

AVAILABLE LANGUAGES: Spanish.