The article reflects the author's struggle with their name change at 26, revealing deep-seated feelings about identity and self-worth. Despite abandoning their birth name for Anneli, which holds no cultural significance for them, the author finds little solace in the new name. Friends try to celebrate the change, but mispronunciations and negative associations haunt them, leading to feelings of frustration and sorrow. The author explores the paradox of name identity, feeling victimized by both a name imposed by parents and one they chose themselves.
"You never realize how ubiquitous names are until you hate yours. Impishly, it pops up constantly on mail and calls and during conversations."
"Hating the name your parents gave you renders you a victim. Hating the name you chose for yourself renders you idiotic, like someone who severs his arthritic arm and sews onto his wrist a toeless foot."
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