The Jeep commercial tells me my name is what makes me unique. That it says who I truly am. I think not. It’s just another label. Another way by which people categorize me, put me on a shelf, and then direct their attention to more important things. Like themselves.
A name is a way for someone you’ve just met to place you into a slot so they can remember you. So they don’t have to think too much about where you fit in. Is your last name ethnic? You belong in this slot. Is your first name gender specific? You belong in that slot. Does your name remind them of a character in a book they hated? Slot number 3, please.
Maybe I’m overly annoyed by this because I’m about to slide head first into a mid-life crisis. Or maybe I’m just tired of having others tell me who I am and what’s important to me.
Or maybe, just maybe, I want someone (anyone) to see me just once without judgment, without trying to reduce me to a few labels that can be quickly filed away.
Yes, I believe I’ll change my name.
Fellow SheWrites member here. :)
ReplyDeleteI love this post.
My name always bothered the heck out of me. I know someone I love with my name, someone I hate with my name. Every boyfriend I ever had dated someone before me with my name. The variances of it still irk me: Ginny, Jenny, Jenny, Jenn, Jen...it's all the same.
Yes, let's not look for anymore boxes to put ourselves in. And let's not let anyone else confine us to them, either.
Thanks Jennifer (ooh, it almost feels as if I shouldn't call you by name!).
ReplyDeleteIf you ever figure out exactly how to prevent others from putting us in boxes, I'd love to hear your secret! In the meantime, I suppose I'll continue alienating 3/5 of the people I meet.