Two Saturdays ago, I got married to an amazing guy. It was a lovely time and I can't be happier.
One of the post-wedding tasks that I'm working on now is updating my online presence. You see, Fox isn't my maiden name. My name originally was Chiara Berlingo, but I changed my name when I got married the first time. I was just starting out in my career and I didn't really think about it. It just felt like the right thing to do.
When I got divorced, I thought about changing my name back to Berlingo. But I was already published as Fox, and everyone in the industry knows me as Fox. Most people assume that it is my maiden name. Plus, having jumped through all the hoops to change my name the first time around, I wasn't in a hurry to do it all again. (They charge you money to change your name back, BTW, as if the cost of a divorce wasn't enough.)
I've been a Fox for 10 years now. I don't overly mind the name itself... it's kinda fun to call myself a foxy lady. Though it is annoying when people think it's a porn-star name. I do miss the heritage of the ethnic (if you can still consider Italians ethnic) name Berlingo.
But now that E and I are married, I don't really want the reminder of my previous husband to always follow me around. E has always said that he doesn't care what name I go by, but he would prefer that I don't keep Fox. I agree. I thought long and hard about what I should do. After all, it's been 10 years. I could go back to being a Berlingo, but most people don't know me as a Berlingo. It would be a new name for them anyway.
So, I've decided to take on E's name and become an Ogan. It still sounds weird to say... "Chiara Ogan." Like a strange coat I don't quite know how to wear yet. But I will get used to it, I know. I've decided to slowly transition to Ogan, going by Fox Ogan til the end of the year. My first name is unique enough (I've only ever heard of one other Chiara in IA or UX) so I'm hoping that will help people realize that I've made the switch.
I know it's going to take me awhile to change all the instances of Fox on the internet. I'm pretty much spread all over it. I'm not sure what to do about logins, as many of those are not changable. I have a feeling I'll be having a duel identity for awhile.
