The Reel Life: Approved names edition

The Reel Life answers to many names. Some people address The Reel Life as Reel. Others address the Reel Life as Life. Some prefer to use the full name, Reel Life, while others throw in an expletive (or two). But at least the Reel Life has the option of being known as the Reel Life.

That wouldn't be true in Iceland, where -- and the Reel Life is only guessing here -- The Reel Life isn't on the approved list of names. That's right, Iceland has an approved list of names called the Personal Names Register. It has 1,712 male names and 1,853 female names. And if you are born in Iceland, your parents have to choose a name that's on that list.

According to a Fox News report (the story includes information from wire sources, so The Reel Life is inclined to believe it), this is a big problem for a 15-year-old Icelandic girl named Blaer. Blaer, which is Icelandic for "light breeze," isn't on the list of approved names. But Blaer's mom didn't know that prior to her daughter's baptism. In fact, she knew a Blaer whose name was accepted in 1973 (you can petition the agency for exceptions to the list). Blaer is also the name of a female character in a novel by a famous Icelandic author.

But this Blaer's request was turned down because the name takes a masculine article, but Blaer is a female.

So Blaer is now forced to sign her name as Stulka on all official documents. Stulka is Icelandic for girl.

This is all a bit Game of Thronish, isn't it? Now Blaer is suing to get her name back, and The Reel Life hopes she wins. The law was designed to "protect" kids from being given embarrassing names. But what can be more embarrassing than signing your name as "Girl" for the rest of your life? Give the kid her name. It's the right thing to do.

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