In Tulips for Augusta, we are treated to a rare glimpse of childhood hazing. Augusta's nickname when she was little was....Roly - because she was chubby. Her whole family still call her that. Her nursing friends don't - they call her "Gussie" - which might possibly be worse. The only Gussie I can think of in literature (pretty sure Caesar's friends didn't call hime that) is Gussie Fink-Nottle, a noted newt-fancier and friend of Bertie Wooster. But I digress. Back to Roly. I can imagine her thoughts: "Thank you family for a painful reminder that I was a chubby kid. Never mind that the chubbiness magically disappeared as I matured. I am still sensitive about my unfashionable plumpness." The worst thing is that Constantijn calls her Roly too. I can see that lasting right up until she's about 8 months pregnant with twins and he says it just one too many times.
I personally really feel for Augusta (see, I do! I'm not going to call her Roly). I too had an unfortunate childhood nickname. You have to admit that I was pretty darn cute (see picture)- in a Campbell's Kid sort of way. I had the chubby cheeks and the chubby tummy. Some misbegotten son-of-a-whatsis gave me a wonderful nickname when I was around four (that sounds a little harsher than I mean it - especially since it was probably a close family member). Chubby Checker. Thanks. To be 
fair, I thought it was hilarious for a year or two (four and five year olds are silly that way). Thankfully my family stopped calling me that - I could (and possibly did) thrash Betty Marcy if she had dared to use it after I was around seven or eight. I'm sure I still could if push came to shove.I guess my point is that I have always been sensitive about my weight - and I can trace that sensitivity right back to that childhood nickname.
Enough already about my childhood trauma...Let's take another look at the adorable picture of me. Did you notice the tulips? I know you can't tell from the picture, Betty Marcy and I are holding Easter eggs. Yes, I managed to pull out a very timely picture. Tulips, for Tulips for Augusta, and Easter eggs...because this Sunday is Easter.
No one else even needs to enter this contest; I have it won HANDS DOWN. As the youngest, I got the worst of the nicknames (and worst really means something when your older sister's nickname was "Biggity" and one of the brothers was "Danny Meadow Mouse"), and they're pretty horrific.
ReplyDeleteAdmittedly the nickname that stuck was "Baby" (which my mother called me until I was 18 and nearly 5'11"), but for a while my family called me "Queen Chub." Oh, but that was just a warm up: then my dearest darling brothers called me "Ten Ton Twinkle Toes." Yes.
You know what? I'm not sensitive about my weight at all. I had to get over it right quick in order to survive. But you can see why I don't permit nicknames... :-)
Betty Magdalen does win.
ReplyDeleteI never really had nicknames stick on me (and how I wanted them to!) but I did bestow Betty Tia with a winner: Tia-Wee-Wee-in-the-Tree-Wee. Mean but awesome too.
My own daughter is infamously known as The Ya-ya.
Keira, I believe there was a song that went along with Tia's nick name, which I'll let you take credit for (Tia might pinch me this weekend).
ReplyDeleteI don't remember any personal nicknames other than Suzy-Q...which was not used with any frequency.
My late dad called me "Speedy" (of course, he had a very dry sense of humor so it was not necessarily a compliment). Professor van der Hertenzoon knows I miss my dad and being called that so he often calls me that too (it's even less accurate now but still makes me smile).
ReplyDeleteAnd, I don't know Betty Magdalen, you should feel better with the stiff competition of "Tia-Wee-Wee-in-the-Tree-Wee."
Betty Kylene will now refer to Debbie as Betty Roly because that pictures is so cute!
ReplyDeleteI did have a teenage/young adult nickname that was much more dashing. I well and truly earned the nickname "Crash" when I rolled a van during my seniior year of high school.
ReplyDelete