December 03, (THEWILL) – Nollywood actress, Shaffy Bello, has shared her perspective on being addressed by her first name by younger individuals, expressing her discomfort and perceiving it as disrespectful.
During her appearance on the Me, Her And Everything Else podcast, Shaffy discussed instances where younger individuals have addressed her by her first name, acknowledging that it has happened, even by those young enough to be her children.
Bello recognised cultural differences globally, highlighting how various cultures and upbringings influence greetings. She expressed a preference for being addressed as “Ma’am” rather than by her first name, Shaffy.
She began, “Of course I still get it, I get the ‘Hi Shaffy’ and usually for me I know that upbringing matters and I also know that where you’re from also dictates some of the things that you do. For example, the Igbos don’t do that, they use ‘aunty’ and it’s so interesting to me because even in the States, they will never call their aunties by name, they go ‘aunty, cousin.’ They do the ‘ma’am.'”
The veteran emphasised that addressing her by her first name requires earning that right, and, frankly, younger individuals never have. She elaborated on how she handles such situations when called by her name.
“Usually my response is simple and I say it with love, I pull them close and I tell them ‘you haven’t earned the right to call me by my name, I have a child as old as you are. Even if I didn’t have children you haven’t earned the right, and you would never earn the right at your age to call me my name,'” Bello added.
She also shared her discomfort with people greeting her with a simple ‘Hi’ and a wave, expressing how it bothers her.
