Gen Z Receptionist Says Boomers Make Her Want To 'Rip Her Hair Out' After A Man Comments On Her 'Masculine' Nickname
"You're not one of those trans whatever people right?"
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A / Shutterstock A woman never expected her nickname to cause a stir at work — but it certainly did with one boomer client who was bewildered by it, claiming that it was a “man’s name.”
She noted that her nickname is an ode to her late grandfather, whom she never got to meet, and encouraged anyone who might like to comment on someone's name to stay in their lane.
A client made ill-mannered comments about a receptionist’s ‘masculine’ nickname.
Sharing her story with the subreddit r/BoomersBeingFools, the woman revealed that her full name is considered “feminine,” but the nickname she goes by leans more toward “masculine.”
“My full name is after my mother, my nickname is after my grandfather (who died before I was born. My mom absolutely loved him and was devastated that he didn't get to meet me),” the woman wrote.
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Throughout her entire life, the woman has gone by her nickname, and everyone she interacts with refers to her by her nickname. “I've been going by my nickname for literally as long as I can remember. In school, every single one of my teachers called me by my nickname (friends too, I'm sure a lot of my friends in my younger years didn't actually know my full name),” she shared.
“My doctors call me by my nickname. My professors call me by my nickname. It has never been a problem until recently at my job as a receptionist, where I also use my nickname.”
Considering that 1 in 4 Americans use a nickname rather than their legal name, according to a YouGov survey, this really shouldn't be a big deal.
During one of her shifts, the woman answered the phone by saying the obligatory “Hello! This is (name) at (place of work). What can I help you with today?”
The client on the other end of the line could not get past the fact that he was speaking to a woman who went by a masculine nickname.
“Immediately this Boomer fool goes off on his stupid little tangent, ‘You don't sound like a male, why are you using a male name?? You're not one of those trans whatever people right?’” the woman wrote.
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“I never even thought this would be a problem. MY ENTIRE LIFE I'VE GONE BY MY NICKNAME AND YET MY ENTIRE LIFE I'VE STAYED A FEMALE.”
The woman added that she is especially sympathetic toward transgender people, as they have to deal with ignorant boomers like the man every day.
She also pointed out the hypocrisy of boomers who believe Gen Zs and millennials are sensitive “snowflakes” because of the societal issues many of them are passionate about. Yet the man appeared to be offended that he was speaking to a woman with a typically masculine nickname, even though it had no effect on his personal life.
Thankfully, the woman responded intelligently and professionally. “I just replied, ‘That is disrespectful and none of your concern. What can I help you with?’” she wrote.
“After some more sputtering and grunting, he finally set up an appointment.”
The woman claimed that the behavior and the backward ideologies demonstrated by some boomers make her want to rip her hair out, and she is not alone.
Others shared their own horror stories of dealing with disrespectful boomers.
“I work a public-facing job and my boss, who is a woman, has a name that's traditionally masculine. In her case it's her birth name, not a nickname, that's just the name her parents happened to pick for her. The amount of times people who have gotten an attitude with her, and then accused her of making up a fake name so they wouldn't be able to get her in trouble is astounding,” one Redditor commented.
“This sounds almost exactly like my situation. My full name is feminine, but I've gone by a unisex (apparently "boyish") nickname my whole life. Never had an issue until I spent a few years working at a dollar store that was a favorite boomer hangout. They were obsessed with my full name and would insist on using it over and over like they were trying to train me,” another user shared.
Some boomers fail to understand that someone else’s name will not impact their own life in any way. Whether you meet a girl named “Bob” or a man named “Mary,” a name is a personal choice, and it is not anyone else’s place to decide if the name is appropriate for them.
The man who called to make an appointment will still be able to get one, regardless of the receptionist’s name.
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.