Tell It To Bells...
(spiffy image will be added to future posts)
Have you ever been embarrassed by your name?
My answer is yes! Many of you probably don't know that my first name is Belinda. Here are 3 stories about my name and the trouble that it has caused.
DON'T Sing That Song!
5th grade. New school. I walked into art class and was greeted by the art teacher. He asked what my name was and I replied "Belinda." He was very happy to hear my name and started to sing a song called "Beloved Belinda." He asked me if I had ever heard of the song. I replied with "No." This man went on to sing the song almost every day! I would avoid eye contact in the hopes that this would prevent him from singing it. Nope, didn't work. I did a search for the song that caused me to want to hide from this weird hippy teacher everyday! Guess what?! I COULDN'T FIND A SONG WITH THAT NAME!!!! So this weirdo was lying and just wanted to sing to me. That gives me the heebie jeebies!
Mad About You!
(yeah I got mad alright!)
(yeah I got mad alright!)
1986. I am in Middle School. 8th grade to be exact. I have transferred from another school and I am quickly making new friends. A woman by the name of Belinda Carlisle has come out with a smash hit by the name of "Mad About You." All of a sudden I am no longer known as Belinda, I am now BELINDA CARLISLE!!! "Hey Belinda Carlisle! You're famous!" It was fun for about a week, and then became absolutely cringe worthy! I was also expected to know all the freaking words to the song! I think I liked that song for a week and didn't want to hear it again!
Nymphomaniac!
The worst story for my name takes place in High School in my 11th grade Honors English Class. One of my favorite teachers Ms. McCarthy passes out a new book for us to read. I can't remember the name of the book, but I believe it might be the book shown above. But I know for sure that there was a character by the name of Belinda in it. As we are reading the book we begin to notice something. Belinda likes to have a good time. Yup, she likes to knock the boots! I didn't like where this was headed. That subject brings up an interesting conversation which turns into a question from the teacher. "What do you call a person that loves to have lots of sex to the point where they can't get enough of it?" *crickets chirping* "A nyphomaniac!" OH MAN! My mouth dropped open and I just wanted to disappear from the face of the earth! I could hear the wheels turning in the heads of all of the boys in my class as they were looking at me. And yes, they were all looking at me! In other words, since Belinda in the book likes to have lots of sex, then I must as well! It was horrible. This one boy by the name of Anthony would not leave me alone! Thank goodness the book was thin and we were able to read it quickly. That still didn't stop some of the boys for asking me questions throughout the school year.
So tell me, have you ever been embarrassed by your name? I know you've got to have a good story for me.
*UPDATE* Apparently the wonderful Nat over at Wicked L. Pixie has a feature with the same name titled WLP Wants To Know. So I must dig deep the tissue of my brain to come up with a spiffy new name for my feature. (I did! Look above! :D)
I can so relate! People used to say Colette are you going to make a collect call? to me all the time as a joke. The two aren't that similiar, and it got old fast.
ReplyDeleteThe worst was that there was a boy whose last name was Collett, and people would snicker and say: "C if you marry Jamie, you'll be Colette Colett." We suffered all the way from Kindergarden to Senior year with that one.
You know that "Hey Mickey" song by Toni Basil? Well a friend of mine changed 'Mickey' to my name and would go around all day (at work and in front of customers no less) singing..."Oh Amy, you're so fine You're so fine, you blow my mind, hey Amy, hey Amy Oh Amy, you're so fine..." Not the most embarrassing, I know but it's really the only one that sticks in my head LOL!
ReplyDeleteI feel your pain ladies. I had to take a Spanish class during the summer in high school and had to endure the teacher singing Tommy Tutone's 867‒5309/Jenny every time he called roll. Which was every friggin' day. I now HATE that song. Thanks summer school Spanish teacher. *sigh*
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness. You have no clue what I went through as a kid with my last name! My maiden name was Showalter, pronounced show walter. For the 12 years of primary school, I heard "So Ashley, what'd you show Walter?" FOR 12 YEARS!! It wasn't until 12th grade that I was finally able to get someone back for all that torture, and his last name was Greathead... ;)
ReplyDeleteNow, my last name is Hoffenberg. I went from one German name to a more German name. I can't win!
So nothing embarrasses me except for nasty stains ..... so I can't say I've ever really been embarrassed of my name though I've gotten some ridiculous things associated with it... and, of course...
ReplyDeleteI will forever be deemed Julia Gulia.
Oh yeah... my name is close to a town near by - they use to sing Marnie from Marne. Then the school band I was in played the Flintstones theme song... I constantly got called Marnie Rubble. I won't even mention the kids I got when people found out I was named after the Alfred Hitchcock horror movie called Marnie. I was so embarrassed growing up but now I love my name.
ReplyDeletenothing but I have always been called Julia( not my name) ...oh my name is popular but not that popular.
ReplyDeleteNever had any nicknames but have been called china beach.
I've had a lot of references to Barry Manilow who sings a song called "Mandy" (HELLO - my name ends in an "i" ;) )
ReplyDeleteBut - one of my best friends is named Melissa Nolf. Her mom is named Jackie Nolf. But if you say it slowly it sounds like "jackn' off"
Poor Melissa..and her mom ;)
C- Well at least you had someone to suffer with you. lol
ReplyDeleteAmy - I remember that song. Gosh that had to be annoying.
Jen D. - Oh man, that must have been horrible! That song makes me want to stab my ears!
Ash - I didn't know that Showalter was German. You learn something everyday. :D
RRR - Stains?! Seriously dork!
Marnie - I love my name as well! I get so excited to run into another Belinda. lol
Julia - Why China Beach?
Smexi - I figured Barry Manilow would be mentioned. Poor Melissa and her mom is right! I'm sorry, I cracked up over the "jackin off". I said her name slowly and it does sound like that. Forgive me!
LOL! You know, girl stains. It hasn't happened to me but I'm consistently paranoid that it will.
ReplyDeleteI'm also laughing because My Five Monkeys(Julie) said she always gets called Julia and then, Bellz, ya went and called her Julia... That's not her name! LOL! But I feel her pain. Everyone always calls me Julie. Everyone, no matter how many times I'm like JuliAAAAA.
RRR - OMG!! I'm so sorry Julie! I was telling myself to make sure I don't write Julia! I'm so used to writing Julia because of RRR! I'M SUCH A FREAKING DORK! Forgive me!!
ReplyDeleteJulie - *double checks to make sure it is right* I'm so sorry for that error!
ReplyDeleteRRR - Why are you talking about girl stains on a post about names?! LMAO!
My name is Penny Singleton. So was the name of the actress that played Blondie in the Blondie and Dagwood movies of the 40's. Don't get the reference? Neither did I when EVERY TEACHER I EVER HAD used to mention it when I was in elementary and middle school. "OOH! PENNY SINGLETON! You know she played Blondie in the movies! Are you named after her?" I was seven...and I'm BLACK...so I'm going with No.
ReplyDeleteAnd just for your own personal knowledge, Penny Singleton was also the voice of Jane Jetson. None of my teachers ever mentioned THAT though. Hmph.
*in Antoine Dodson's voice* Welllll, when your first and middle name both have Qs in them, you are bound to have your name jacked the F up all the damn time! My first name is Marquetta. I get called Margarita, Margaret, Marguerite. I'm like, there ain't do damn G in my name people! It drives me crazy. My middle name is Quante. People don't even try to pronounce it. I was once called Quazar. Do people even try to get it right? I used to go by my middle name until we moved to Virginia. And then I guess the uppity suburban folks didn't want to try to pronounce my name and that's how I became Marquetta (now Marq). But my real nickname is Q and I go by my middle name at home and around family. I'm only Marquetta at work and when I'm around friends that I've made since moving to VA.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if it's truly embarrassing but it's frustrating as hell. Bless my grandma's heart but she had no idea what she put me through when she named me.
Bells & Rex-- happens I'm actually used to being called Julia..so no problems at all. I've always been around a Julia. Heck I even now answer to twitter name of april--not my name again..
ReplyDeleteBells-- china beach because I guess I high school I looked like dana delany. Don't see at all.
Penny - OMG I laughed so hard at your comment. Like why would they expect you to know that info! lol
ReplyDeleteMarq - Frustrating is right. That is a whole lotta Q's. Bless Grandma! lol
Julie - Thanks. I was wondering if there was a Dana Delany connection.
Jen D: That's what I was going to say: 8675309... *sigh* Yes, boys got my number off a wall.
ReplyDeleteBells: Now I have that song (Mad About You) stuck in my head!
Oh, yes, I can definitely relate: try Peppermint Patty, paddywhacker, Hamburger Patty, and worst of all: Cow Patty. Ugh.
ReplyDeleteIn high school there was this very popular girl named Leslie. You know, the girl with an entourage? We met one day when she overheard someone calling my name.
ReplyDeleteWe exchanged that, "Your name's Leslie too? How do you spell it? Me too!" *squeal*, kind of thing.
Then for some reason, every time we passed each other in the hall, lunch, etc., we thought it would be cool to greet each other with a, "Hi, Leslie." said at the same time. After a while it became work for me and I could tell she was bored with it too, but we kept doing it...forever. I guess, to entertain her entourage or something. Even though I suspected they rolled their eyes after witnessing it so much.
Still, I think back to how dumb and childish I must have looked. lol. Oh, btw, I never became a part of her entourage either. :-/
Patti - Yeah those names are totally annoying!
ReplyDeleteLeslie - I'm glad you didn't become part of her entourage. They sound like they were snooty.
So, I'm 31. And I have lived with the last 31 years of my life with the most awful name in the known universe. My mother thought that instead of naming me with a popular name she would go with something unique. Unique for my age group, not for someone old. She named me Mildred. Not only did I get stuck with this name but I am also Hispanic, so you could just imagine the looks I got whenever someone asked me my name. At school I was taunted with these gems:
ReplyDelete"Old lady name" : Soooo original!
"Mildew": I REALLY hated this one.
And then there was this one that forever haunts me to this day.
"Millie Vanillie" In second grade a teacher nick named me Millie and I thought that was so cool. Little did I know that I would be haunted with this one. Even now, I still go by that name and I have adults say, "Hey! Just like Millie Vanillie!"
My initials were B.B. (maiden name) and I was called BB Gun and Big Bird (really popular because I'm tall).
ReplyDelete