By Giana Pirolli | Sports Writer
The Kardashians have always been at the foot of controversy, largely stemming from their reality TV series “Keeping Up with the Kardashians.” Kanye West, husband of Kim Kardashian, is not afraid of the spotlight either. Kanye has been critiqued for his music videos, getting into fights with paparazzi and for storming VMA Award Ceremonies.
Recently though, there has been chatter about the Wests naming their third child, who was born on Jan. 15, Chicago West. Kim has made it clear Chicago’s nickname would be Chi, pronounced “Shy.”
The Wests have two other children, North and Saint. Both the names North and Saint received backlash over their uniqueness, with North West being compared to the airline “Southwest.”
Chicago is not that weird of a name. People shouldn’t be too quick to judge. Chicago is where Kanye was born, so it clearly has some significance to the family.
Besides, many people are named after cities (Sydney, London, Madison and Phoenix) or even states (Georgia, Virginia and Carolina), and they aren’t ridiculed or mocked. The fact that people are criticizing Kim and Kanye for naming their child Chicago is absurd, and while they are in the spotlight, it’s a decision that does not concern anyone else.
Although the Wests are celebrities, people don’t have any right to criticize others for what they name their children. While some may want their children to have traditional names such as James or Sarah, others may want their children to have names like Blue Ivy (Beyoncé and Jay Z’s daughter) or Cricket (Busy Philipps and Marc Silverstein’s daughter).
We may not agree that these names are practical or modest, but it doesn’t concern anyone else.
If we all liked the same names, how boring would the world be? Names that are unusual all have interesting stories to tell and can serve to make great conversation.
I think Chicago West will grow up to love her name and embrace the reasons why she received it. This holds true for both Saint and North. Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin’s daughter, Apple, will come to admire her name as well, and this holds true for Bronx, Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz’s daughter.
Maybe the talk surrounding Chicago’s name means nothing, but it just seems like a waste of conversation. There are other things happening in the world that are much more important than celebrities naming their child after a city. We should be following what is happening in politics or educating ourselves on social justice issues rather than spending so much time talking about Chicago.
So, your opinion on whether you like “weird” celebrity baby names is not going to change anyone’s decisions, and I doubt Kim and Kanye care whether people think Chicago is too unique.
Giana Pirolli is a freshman journalism major from Lebanon, Conn.
