License plates, keychains, magnets! If you were lucky enough to grow up with a name like John or Jennifer (ugh stupid older siblings), then you have never understood the plight of not being able to purchase one of these glorious items with your name on it. At nine years old I just wanted to be like everyone else, and I can still remember the agony I felt inside the giant “Alvin’s Island” gift shop in Pensacola, Florida which failed to sell a single item with the name “Joanna” on it.
It’s not that my name is so uncommon that people have never heard it before or don’t know how to pronounce it (although it boggles my mind that there are still adults today who can’t seem to get it right. There’s an “A” on the end, and no “H” people.) It’s just that my name is uncommon enough that it isn’t worth it to a company to mass produce it onto a plastic keychain in the shape of the state of Florida. This Simpsons clip was my jam in 1992:
I know there are plenty of you out there who can relate to this. And I know there are a ton of you who had it worse than I did. I know this because I’ve met you several times and I still don’t know how to pronounce your name. As we all grow up though, it becomes less annoying to have an uncommon name, and more fun to feel like a unique individual. I love that I don’t run into other Joanna’s often, and in fact, any time I do meet another one it really weirds me out. I like to think I’m the only Joanna out there, and I’m convinced that this Kool and the Gang song was written about me despite having been released before I was born.
To celebrate my Joanna-ness, the customized jewelry company One Necklace sent me this personalized “Joanna” necklace that’s appropriately in the style of the infamous “Carrie” necklace (seriously, someone once dubbed me the “Carrie Bradshaw of Austin” but I think I need to buy more designer shoes to make that entirely accurate… workin on that.)
If you’re itching to celebrate your own moniker, you can get 10% off your very own personalized necklace at One Necklace with the code “AUSTINSTYLISH.” Personalized name necklaces are all the rage right now (I’m raging hard over here), but if you’re not into wearing your own name around your neck, you can also get a necklace that says whatever the heck you want it to. Here are a few suggestions for other words and names that would be fun to wear around your neck:
- Nope
- Felicia
- Wut
- your twitter handle
your boyfriend’s nameyour dog’s name- Beyoncé
Joanna Wilkinson
keep austin stylish