Ranting about my names and individuality

Names

I should probably start out this post by stating that I am a triplet. I have two brothers, Jason Lee and Ryan Taylor. I also have an older half brother named Alexander Wayne. Jason's middle name, Lee, has always been a family name on both sides of my family. Ryan's middle name, Taylor, is my Mom's maiden name. Alex's middle name is my paternal grandfather's first name.   

So, my formal name is Allison Nicole Kvasnicka. All of my brothers' names have meaning; however, my parents chose my name because they thought Allison and Nicole sounded good together. With that being said, as the only girl in my immediate family, and the only girl on my Dad's side of the family, I think my family was just happy that there was going to be another girl.

Allison. To me, this name is far to formal to fit my personality. True, it sounds good on formal documents but whenever a teacher or a substitute calls me by it, I die a little on the inside. Allison is stuffy and boring. Ew.

This is why I go by Allie (with two Ls and an IE, not a Y). Allie is more relaxed, bubbly, and fun. 

Kvasnicka. Whenever I right-click on the red squiggle that is guaranteed to appear underneath it, no suggestions show up, as if to say "I'm sorry, but is that even English or did you fall asleep on your keyboard again?". My last name is Czech (and if one more person tries to tell me I am wrong and that it is Russian I might scream). I used to hate my last name. In class, most teachers don't even try to pronounce it (just pronounce the V as a W). But I guess my last name is complex, like me. It signifies my family background and heritage as my Dad is German.

Call me old-school, but when I get married I want to change my last name. I love the idea of a hyphenated name because it shows a family joining together; however, can you imagine Kvasnicka being hyphenated with something else? Me neither. I don't think it would flow as easily.   

Individuality

Growing up as a triplet, I have strong feelings about individuality. To this day, I am not viewed as my own person. I am grouped together with my brothers. I am not Allie; however, I am The Triplets or One-of-Three. Even family members and close friends don't refer to us by individual names. My parents count us off like soldiers in a line up (ie One-of Three, Two-of-Three, Three-of -Three). Also, they joke about how if one of us were to die then they always have two others. 

I despise it when people clump my brothers and I together because our personalities are tremendously different and we coincidentally fit the oldest-middle-youngest child stereotypes very well. I am very type A, motivated, and bossy. Ryan, the middle child, is quieter and more reserved. Jason, the youngest, is loud and full of energy. We all have different interests and hobbies, further proving we should not be clumped together as one group. 

By being constantly grouped together with my brothers, it has shaped my personality is some ways. Being constantly compared to boys, I was obsessed with everything pink with dresses and sparkles in order to stand out. I also believe that one of the reasons why I am so loud is to be heard above my brothers. I always tried to stand out and the break away from my brothers.

So...I ended up ranting about a lot...oops! I could go on for days about this topic, but I guess I will save it for later as this post is already really long. Here is a picture of my brothers and I on the first day of school :) 

From left to right: Myself, Jason, Ryan

'Othering': Wing Young Huie vs Margaret Atwood

The photo by Wing Young Huie seen here on the surface contains a picture of two men in an eccentric yarn shop sometime between 2012-2013 (exact location and date are not listed). One man is crocheting and the other man is holding a sign that reads "People think I am intimidating, but when they know me I an soft inside".
Othering is used in this picture because it is implying that knitting/crocheting is only for women. This is shown by:

• The fact that it is two men in the photo and the title of this picture album is "We are the Other"-which implies that men are not knitters.crocheters. As an avid knitter myself, this is totally wrong as some of my favorite knitter friends are guys. 
•  Othering is implied in this picture through the quote listed above. It implies that only people "soft inside" can knit/crochet. (Again, so totally wrong: anybody can express themselves through the medium of soft, fuzzy yarn Thank. You. Very. Much.)

Margaret Atwood in The Handmaid's Tale uses othering multiples times throughout the book. For example:

• Her formatting of Day and Night can be viewed as different because her writing styles/content change. During the day sections Offred is more reserved in her actions and thoughts. However, at night (when Offred is usually by herself in her room) Offred is more liberal with her opinions and she includes flashbacks of the past. 
• Atwood also uses othering in because of her use of Handmaids. The handmaids are basically only useful if they are pregnant and after they give birth, the baby goes to the Commander and his Wife. It essentially takes surrogate mothers to the extreme.