Let me just put this out there – kids can be REALLY mean. Our childhoods are like this series of unpleasant incidents from school or from the neighbourhood block where kids, sometimes our closest friends, have ganged up and bullied the bejesus out of us. If you are someone who was chubbier, thinner, fairer, darker (basically any minor difference in appearance from the rest), not that good in academics, sucked at sports, or even worse – had an unusual name, I empathise. As we grew up, some got over it and moved on. Some have been messed up because of it. Some have done something about it.
This 46-year-old woman who has been bullied her whole life owing to her unusual name – Marijuana Pepsi (you read that right), took advantage of it and turned her life around. She used her experience to write a dissertation on Black names in white classrooms: Teacher behaviours and student perceptions’, and recently got her PhD!
According to sources, Marijuana Pepsi embraced her odd name instead of fighting against it. She refused to change her name even when her teacher and later bosses urged her. She was given the name by her mother after her birth, and her mother was often criticized by others for it. Fun fact – She has never smoked marijuana and doesn’t like drinking Pepsi!
“Regardless of what they do, say or what they’re trying to put in place, you still have to move forward and succeed”, she said.
“I’ve grown into my name because I am a strong woman. I’ve had to be”, Pepsi said, giving her mom all the credit.
For her dissertation, Pepsi interviewed several other students who had similar experiences like her and were bullied in class because of their unusual names.
However, when people of the internet got to know there’s a woman named ‘Marijuana Pepsi’, they flipped out!
When you see why Marijuana Pepsi is trending #MarijuanaPepsi pic.twitter.com/jtVfISIOzW
— Tremayne Stone (@wwetreystone) June 20, 2019
when I saw that #MarijuanaPepsi was trending, I immediately assumed that @PepsiCo had announced a new #cannabis-infused product… silly me… raising a glass to Dr. Vandyck on this fine accomplishment…#PepsiGeneration #dope https://t.co/t8tHFuMS5e via @MailOnline
— Daniel Paisner (@DanielPaisner) June 20, 2019
Let's put some respect on her name tho. It's, DOCTOR Marijuana Pepsi! Kudos to her for all her accomplishments🤗 #MarijuanaPepsi pic.twitter.com/zkqCsJRLda
— alex (@alexandro114) June 20, 2019
Congratulations, Dr. Marijuana Pepsi 🥳 An amazing accomplishment. Seriously though, I can only imagine all the taunting and teasing she had to go through as a child. #MarijuanaPepsi https://t.co/nB3tM0VrjJ
— Adam Totounji (@totounjiadam) June 20, 2019
This reminds me of Tyrion Lannister’s wise words: “Never forget what you are, the rest of the world will not. Wear it like armour and it can never be used to hurt you.”