Pizzabrat, I’m just writing this for myself. I don’t think anyone else will ever read it, actually. This character does not live in a trailer park, etc. I am just looking for a name that is associated with a stereotype.
Rhonda
Darlene
Eulayla
Dreeva
Crystal
Robyn
Tanya
I’ll have to vote a strong no on Tammy. I guess it connotes one thing to those of you in the midwest and south. It connotes something else to this average New York Jew. I know several Tammys and Tamis, but it’s short for Tamara. Every Tamara I know is sophisticated and classy and a little bit exotic. So, to me, “Tammy” is an affectionate nickname for a woman who is the exact opposite of what you’re looking for.
I like Charlene or Darlene. Sharla would be good, too. Or Darva. (Like Darva Conger, ha ha.) That “ar” sound in the middle makes me think of the kind of woman you’re describing. (Apologies to my mother-in-law, Arlene.)
Misty would be great, too. The woman you describe is anything but “misty.” The juxtaposition between the hopeful names that some people are given and the reality of their circumstances is often quite striking. Like you may see a woman in white stretch pants at the Wal-Mart shouting at her daughter Tiffany.
By the way, check out this thread by Myrnalene, where she asks what her username makes us think of. Her username is a concatenation of Marlene Dietrich and Myrna Loy, but instead of old-time glamour, many people thought of “the stereotypical “trailer trash” chick you see on Jerry Springer. Someone with long hair in the back but short ratted up bangs, too much makeup, wearing a shirt and jeans that are too tight for her chubby self.”
You think that’s bad?
I was searching some old genealogical records down in Georgia, and found several instances of girls named Penissa.
Cheryl
Cherry
Billie Jean
Darlene
Wanda Jo
Definitely gotta be “Loretta”. Emphasis on the first syllable with a long o.
How bout Pamela or Tommy Lee?
Joy-elle, or Jo-elle
Selma
Roxanne
Bernice
Mildred
Naneen
How about Carnie? Or to add a bit of sophistication: C’arnie.
Otherwise, I’d name her Tonya after a certain ice skater/rassler/bar brawler/community service doer.
Whatever soap opera names are in this year. I know a Jolene and an Irene, and they’re both lovely, classy ladies named for their grandmothers. I’ve also known many Beckys who have never set foot in a trailer. LifeOnWry is right. It’s the
Tiffany
Crystal
Cheyenne
Destiny
Austin
Tyler
Montana
set that you have to watch out for.
“Nigger” also calls up a mental image. So does “spic”, kike, wop, towelhead, sandnigger, greaser, wetback and a whole bunch more. Doesn’t stop them from being hate words usually used by bigots.
I have said it before & I’ll say it again- unless you woudl throw in “nigger”, then you also have no business using “white trash”- it is just as bigoted & insensitive.
Now I have a mental image of you…
Vick
Bette
Hattie
To be perfectly honest, the name Tiffany makes me think of abnormally chipper 14-year old prostitutes with really big tits.
Not white trash material.
[SMTV]
Shiraz
[/SMTV]
“Sauvignon-Blanc, come in right now - your dinner’s ready!”
Madonna
Too many names for lilrogue to work with. But I’ll add my suggestion anyway.
The first thing that popped into my head after reading the character’s description was Vienna. Her mama thought it was a pretty name, and it’s her favorite snack anyway. But she lives in a part of the country where they pronounce it VIE ENNY. She goes by Vi for short.
Yer a damn fool iff’n ya don’t pick Tammy!
Why is this necessarily bigotry? I know many low income white people. Although I don’t use the term “white trash”, I’m familiar with what it means. On an individual basis, some low income white people are crude, inconsiderate, lazy and downright trashy. Some low income white people are kind, thoughtful, industrious and downright admirable. What’s wrong with calling a lowlife a lowlife (on an individual basis)?
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Until just recently, I thought that “spic” was just a mean way of saying someone was compulsively clean. (As in “Spic and Span.” My mother would fit the bill—she spends hours every day cleaning her already-clean house.)
My husband took sensitivity training at work, and was telling me about it at home. When he mentioned that “spic” was one word which they were trying to erase from employees’ vocabulary, I expressed confusion. Thank god I had never used it.
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