Call me Gigi, Please

I turned 60 in March. And I’ve decided to change my name to Gigi. Gigi is short for Virginia which has always been my middle name. 

Gigi is how I want to live the next chapter of my life. Gigi represents joyousness, courage, and living life to its fullest. Plus, they say if you want to change the world you need to start with yourself. So I figure why not start with changing my name. 

Over the past few months, as I’ve been (re-)introducing myself as Gigi and explaining my name change, I’ve often heard an audible gasp. You can do that? At your age? It’s clear we think of our names as immutable, somehow baked into us. But they’re not. Names were given to us at birth, not of our choosing. It’s also the one word we may hear most in our life. So if our name doesn’t reflect who we are or who we want to be in the world, why not change it? And no, it’s never too late. 

I’ve heard so many friends confess they’d also love to change their names (they usually have a name ready in their pocket). When I ask what their name would be and if we should give it a whirl, more than a few have jumped at the chance. And when I start calling them by their chosen name, I see them light up with a sense of wonder, joy and possibility. 

Which is exactly what Gigi does for me. So please, call me Gigi.  

-Gigi Danziger

PS What would you want to be called? Shall we give it a whirl? 

Portrait of Gigi gifted to her by her son Peter Wenger, painted by his friend Reece.