If you read my latest entry on the Gender Evolve blog, you know that thanks to Michele’s help, I feel like I’ve been transformed from an ugly duckling to another one of the many beautiful swans here. So much so, that I’m feeling like my current name no longer fits. “Darla” just seems a bit old-fashioned and not reflective of the new sexier and more self-confident person I see in the mirror.
So I’m asking for your help in finding a more suitable name.
“Darla” actually was a bit a whimsical choice. I wanted to go online and needed a femme name quickly. The first name that came to mind was Daria, the cartoon character, since our Lady of Teen Misfits resonated with my own high school and later work-related hells. And I too have used droll cynicism as armor to cover up those vulnerable parts of my heart and soul. But I initially misremembered the name as “Darla,” and when I remembered a day or two later, I decided to stay with it, since
“Daria” seemed to be too direct an allusion.
So who am I, or maybe more properly, who do I want my name to inspire me to be?
Think Daria 20 years later. Still cynical—though she’d say she’s “realistic” and maybe mellowed to “skeptical” —and mistrustful of authority, and doesn’t hesitate to make her opinions known when she sees fit. She has a talent for writing, a sharp intellect, an even sharper tongue when needed (her sarcasm could cut tempered steel) although she’s learned to hold it when politic, and a wit so dry it makes the Sahara look like a rain forest. But time has tempered her. She’s become an embattled cynic and her caring side shows through more and more. Still looking for her intellectual equal in love.
But thankfully the rain boots are gone. Her friends recently put on on “What Not to Wear,” where despite an epic duel of sarcasm with Clinton and Stacy, she secretly enjoyed the whole process and now feels looking great is the best revenge on the Fashion Club.
So I’m looking for a name that says: Smart. Sarcastic. Skeptical. Literate. Sexy. So far, I’m toying with Veronica, Marlena, and maybe Daria after all. Any suggestions?
