Imagine everyone's surprise when they ask me where it originated from and I tell them that my mom was on LSD while she went into labor with me and when I was finally delivered, all she would mumble was tennis-shoe and my dad thought it would be funny to call me that. Of course tennis-shoe being masculine had to be converted to a feminine form, so tennis-sha it was.
Actually, I've no idea where it came from but my name has always been of interest to people. First of all, people always assumed I was black if they'd heard my name in passing. And because I grew up in predominately white city of 30,000, my name stood out like a...black fly in cream soup. of course it was beneficial to introduce myself to a black person, I got many excited replies, "that's a down-ass hood name for a white girl", "I'll be damned, that's my sister's name" and white people would always say, "Isn't that the name of a country over in Africa?", or, "that sounds like a black name".
Better yet, I have the landscape to go with it. Although I may have blonde hair and blue eyes; I've got a bubble butt any rapper would be proud to write about in one of their booty-shakin' versus. And believe me, I heard all about it in school.
At first, I didn't mind the kids would teasing me with songs like Sir-Mix-Alot's, "Baby Got Back" but then I learned that the mexican guys were calling me Nalgona. I had no idea what it meant so I asked my Spanish teacher and she asked me why. When I told her the guys were calling me that, she launched into a tirade and next thing I knew I was in the couseling office with my parents and everyone was talking about how people are teasing me for being "easy with a big butt". When that blew over, every whistle embarrassed me and every mention of anything related to butts made me self conscience. I bet my parents didn't see that coming. Although now that I'm in my 20's, I must admit two things; my butts not so perky anymore and I do love my name. At least I'm an original and no one ever has to call me Tenesha T or Tenesha W. I'm simply Tenesha. Tenesha the White Girl.
At first, I didn't mind the kids would teasing me with songs like Sir-Mix-Alot's, "Baby Got Back" but then I learned that the mexican guys were calling me Nalgona. I had no idea what it meant so I asked my Spanish teacher and she asked me why. When I told her the guys were calling me that, she launched into a tirade and next thing I knew I was in the couseling office with my parents and everyone was talking about how people are teasing me for being "easy with a big butt". When that blew over, every whistle embarrassed me and every mention of anything related to butts made me self conscience. I bet my parents didn't see that coming. Although now that I'm in my 20's, I must admit two things; my butts not so perky anymore and I do love my name. At least I'm an original and no one ever has to call me Tenesha T or Tenesha W. I'm simply Tenesha. Tenesha the White Girl.
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