This iReport is part of an assignment:
What does your name say about you?
About this iReport
- Posted May 3, 2012 by
- RyantheGirl Follow
Location
Charlottesville, Virginia
Charlottesville, Virginia
Assignment
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More iReports you should see
What's in a Name? Everything.
- mannynyc, CNN iReport producer
My parents named me Ryan. I am a 26-year old female.
I get mail addressed to Mr. Ryan Babarsky almost every single day. When I walk into an interview, the interviewer is almost always in complete shock to not see a man. When I registered to vote, we got a call saying that Mr. Ryan Babarsky had accidentally checked "female" on his application.
Names mean so much to people! You'd think that, in this day and age, people would have gotten over that whole gender-pinning thing. But, not so much.
I'm convinced that I was treated differently as a "Ryan" than I would have been as, say, a "Rebecca." People expect different things from people based on their names.
As an adult, it's not so bad (and, in fact, I really like my name), but, as a kid, it was hard. "What, did your parents want you to be a boy or something?" "Your name is what? Why?" All these types of comments got old fast.
But, here I am, an adult with what I think is a cool name. I've developed a thicker skin than I probably would have otherwise, and gosh darnit, people almost always remember my name. Not everyone can say that.
I get mail addressed to Mr. Ryan Babarsky almost every single day. When I walk into an interview, the interviewer is almost always in complete shock to not see a man. When I registered to vote, we got a call saying that Mr. Ryan Babarsky had accidentally checked "female" on his application.
Names mean so much to people! You'd think that, in this day and age, people would have gotten over that whole gender-pinning thing. But, not so much.
I'm convinced that I was treated differently as a "Ryan" than I would have been as, say, a "Rebecca." People expect different things from people based on their names.
As an adult, it's not so bad (and, in fact, I really like my name), but, as a kid, it was hard. "What, did your parents want you to be a boy or something?" "Your name is what? Why?" All these types of comments got old fast.
But, here I am, an adult with what I think is a cool name. I've developed a thicker skin than I probably would have otherwise, and gosh darnit, people almost always remember my name. Not everyone can say that.
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