When I was 12 years old, I wished my name was Kylie instead of Kelly. It was 1991. I was in the midst of hyper coloured T-shirts, culotte shorts and Kylie Minogue. I didn’t idolise Kylie Minogue personally, but there was a hype about her which made me think the name far cooler than plain old Kelly.
{culotte shorts in all their glory}
In high school (the years surrounding 1996), I was bombarded with the likes of Savage Garden, wispy fringes and braided belts. I was over the name Kylie and wondered why my parents didn’t call me by my middle name, Adrienne. Adrienne was more elegant, mysterious and interesting than simple old Kelly, right?
{go the fringe}
Today, I’m Kelly, and I love my name. I like my name because my parents gave it to me; I like it because you can write it with a lot of swirls; I like it because it’s familiar and I’ve grown into it. When I look back over the years, I see the names I wanted to apply to myself as an extension of what I was learning at the time. Late primary school, I was dealing with peers and trying to work out how to fit in. In high school, I was working out who I was and who I wanted to be. Now, I’m confident in who I am and can embrace what that looks like fully.
2 Comments
Anna
November 29, 2014 at 12:12 amI still don’t like my name lol I am not an Anna. At least I don’t think so. I am not special like the Anna’s in books. I am no Disney Princess like Anna in Frozen. I am basically a nobody and Anna is also very simple and I’ve always wanted to be a Vanessa or something cooler. My daughter has the coolest name I think. its long, with a cute nick name. its perfect if you ask me. Nickname for Anna? There isnt one………
Kelly - Be A Fun Mum
December 1, 2014 at 8:34 amIt’s interesting how we attach certain things to names. I’ve always thought Anna to be beautifully classic and elegant. My niece is Anni…and we call her Ans which is pretty cute.