Debbie Student stared at me for a period of time which would have become uncomfortable about 20 seconds earlier had it been just about anybody else. I tried not to giggle at her. She doesn't mean to be creepy. It just takes her a while to find the words. And sometimes, when she finds them, and still comes across as creepy? It's not entirely her fault.
"You look like a... you know... ", Debbie Student looked towards the other women frantically and spat out a few Korean words. They giggled. One of them looked at her, confused, then looked to me and said "Barbie doll?" Debbie Student slammed the table with her hand and nodded emphatically. "Yes! You look like a Barbie Doll." She paused, searching for more words. "You must have been very popular in high school." She looked pleased, having finally found the means to express herself in a way I'd understand, and looked away.
Not wanting to embarrass Debbie Student, after she had worked so hard to put that one together, I refrained from hysterical laughter. I thanked her for what may or may not have been a compliment, explained that I was a horribly awkward looking teenager, and left it at that. Of course, I also look absolutely nothing like a Barbie Doll, unless they've started making Barbie Dolls that look more or less like That Girl Who is Scarcely Distinguishable From Others, but Debbie Student doesn't need to know that. Just like my coworkers last year didn't need to know that no, in fact, I hadn't heard that I look just like Anne Hathaway. Being compared to random white celebrities lost it's lustre sometime after my first month here. Being given an excuse to embrace my inner narcissist and ask "have you been reading my blog?" was a whole new kind of funny to me. Or it would have been, had I actually opted to confuse Debbie Student by saying that. I did not.
As noted, aside from my inability to tan, I do not resemble a Barbie Doll. My moniker is not meant to be associated with any sort of plastic doll. I chose Big White Barbie as a moniker because I didn't want to use my real name, I'm relatively tall, pasty, and desired a first name which properly captured my vapid dopiness. In other words, I needed a stripper name. Big White Kiki and Big White Candy didn't roll off the tongue quite as nicely as Big White Barbie, so Barbie won out.
When asked on the radio program a few weeks ago why I use the moniker Big White Barbie, I believe that my answer was something similar to "er, uh, tall. Words are hard. Hee!" So, there you go.
6 comments:
Well Big White Candy my leave the impression of peppermint or Certs.
I love certs!
I know what you mean about the celebrity thing. Sure, I love will smith and Obama but come on!
I guess it could be worse though.
I'm collecting Barbie blogs... hehe
Here's the one I named after Sarah Palin hunting wolves from aircraft.
http://helicopterbarbie.blogspot.com/
May I add you to my Korean bloggers list? (my son is a teacher there too)
I forgot to click the 'follow-up email' box.
Kiko, of course you may add me. I am proud to align myself with all other Barbies (not of the plastic persuasion). Palin, The Helicopter Barbie? I like it.
Much luck to your son.
kissmykimchi - are you trying to tell me that all black people don't, in fact, look the same? Blasphemy.
Every time there is a photo of a black person in one of our student books, one of the student folks will point at the photo and tell me that it looks just like one of the teachers at our hagwon who also happens to black. This one time, there actually was a hint of resemblance. The other 50? Not so much.
Thanks Babs!
Kissmy, Once I had a friend from Barbados (a black Barbadian Barbie?) when the 'teacherson' was four. His babysitter had three kids all under the age of five--2 boys and a girl. One day my friend saw them all out at a store and what did she say to me? "I saw your son with the babysitter today but couldn't tell which one was him. All those little white children look the same."
;) We laughed about that one.
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