[Opinions] Re: No nickname preferred
in reply to a message by Barbra
I mentioned that not all men are comfortable with the feminine connotation associated with my name.
If it is unusual (to meet with) a male Barbra (Barbara), would it be more unusual still to meet with a male Barbie - at a business meeting; and would it be stranger still--and further, depreciatively atrocious, to question, or even reveal the subtlest notion of discomfort - even intrigue--within a group of adults in a professional or even governmental setting?
Would there be a white elephant in the room? (Why do I think of Ernest Hemingway?)
This is what I meant when I stated the following last month -
I mentioned this July 12 2018 comment on Perrine's July 10 "Jamie for both genders" query
"I've read articles (perhaps on BTN - I can't remember the source) about folks with names that end with the "ie" sound, whether spelled with a "y" or "ie" or however else, which mention that "studies" (I always doubt the accuracy of such results) indicate that folks with names which sound more formal fare better than those with "the more child-like" "ie" sound. That is partial reason that I like to use the "Barbie" name in professional settings. It creates a harmless anomaly so overt that it is almost ridiculous--but, far from ridicule, it is harmless & benign - therefore advantageous."
Not during a business meeting, but I met with a lady who approached me last fall--who I also happened to learn that her name is Barbara. She seemed of Asian descent - and I became pleased that we shared similar heritage; she seemed pleased too. She mentioned that she never uses Barbie.
If it is unusual (to meet with) a male Barbra (Barbara), would it be more unusual still to meet with a male Barbie - at a business meeting; and would it be stranger still--and further, depreciatively atrocious, to question, or even reveal the subtlest notion of discomfort - even intrigue--within a group of adults in a professional or even governmental setting?
Would there be a white elephant in the room? (Why do I think of Ernest Hemingway?)
This is what I meant when I stated the following last month -
I mentioned this July 12 2018 comment on Perrine's July 10 "Jamie for both genders" query
"I've read articles (perhaps on BTN - I can't remember the source) about folks with names that end with the "ie" sound, whether spelled with a "y" or "ie" or however else, which mention that "studies" (I always doubt the accuracy of such results) indicate that folks with names which sound more formal fare better than those with "the more child-like" "ie" sound. That is partial reason that I like to use the "Barbie" name in professional settings. It creates a harmless anomaly so overt that it is almost ridiculous--but, far from ridicule, it is harmless & benign - therefore advantageous."
Not during a business meeting, but I met with a lady who approached me last fall--who I also happened to learn that her name is Barbara. She seemed of Asian descent - and I became pleased that we shared similar heritage; she seemed pleased too. She mentioned that she never uses Barbie.