Pardon her French?
An Australian woman is fretting that she should change her name after social media users lambasted it while claiming it’s associated with a sex act.
“I live in a part of the world (Aus) unfamiliar with the word Bijou, so it’s always felt really right to me, nice sounding and gender neutral (to Australians),” the anguished Australian posted to Reddit this week.
“But according to this thread and the French people in it it’s tacky, should never be given to a human and can be associated with genitals,” she sighed.
She continued, “I’ve gone from believing I have a beautiful name, to wondering if I’ll be ridiculed if I meet a single French person. Should I change my name?”
The Redditor’s concerns stem from a 2-year-old post from an American mom querying her peers about the appropriateness of the name Bijou for a girl.
“IMO, not suitable, although it’s been used,” one person replied. “It’s French for ‘jewel.’ It’s a terrific name to save for a puppy or kitten.”
“Native french speaker here. I would personally advise against it for a human child,” another argued. “It sounds tacky. It would be similar to the equivalent of naming someone ‘Giggles’ in English, it works for a cat maybe, but not for a child! But again it’s up to you!”
“It sounds too much like b—job to me,” a third declared.
“I think it’s a silly name and I also think kids would love to call her b— job,” someone else agreed.
Bijou — which means “jewel” in French — is a gender-neutral moniker that hasn’t made the Social Security Administration’s list of the most popular baby names in modern history.
The most famous Bijou is Bijou Phillips, 43, an actress and the estranged wife of convicted rapist Danny Masterson.
Bijou is also the name of a California community, a Queen song off the band’s 1991 album “Innuendo,” and a former Broadway theater.
Redditors assured the agitated Aussie that she doesn’t need to change her name if she likes it.
“If you like the name keep it. If someone ever mocks you because of your name ef them,” one commenter advised. “I’m pretty sure the french population also has names that are inappropriate in other cultures, and so does every culture. Don’t worry about it.”
“Changing your name because of a single thread on Reddit would be ridiculous,” declared another.
“I have a good friend called Fanny (normal name here) and fanny is definitely a more well-known name for genitalia than Bijou is, and she very few problems with it,” shared a third. “Don’t think about what some reddit sub thinks of your name or if it rips it apart.”
Other baby names that have raised eyebrows recently include Pear, Clytemnestra, and Semen.