Her given name, the popular Vietnamese
Bich (pronounced ”Bic”), led to constant questioning (“You know what your name looks like, right?”). Her desire for acceptance led her to change her name to Beth.
Bich became Beth when she placed an order at Shake Shack in Madison Square Park, and gave the name without premeditated thought.
“The woman behind the counter didn’t care. She didn’t say, ‘Is that really your name?’” says Nguyen, novelist and professor in the MFA program in creative writing at the University of Wisconsin. “There’s something about that moment that stayed with me as a way to create a sense of permission for myself, legitimacy for myself. Anybody can do this. For me, it started at the Shake Shack.”
Beth Nguyen longreads.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from longreads.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Inauguration Day is usually a day for iconic designer fashion statements. Both U.S. President Joe Biden and second gentleman Doug Emhoff wore Ralph Lauren suits, while Vice President Kamala Harris’ vibrant purple coat came from Christopher John Rogers and first lady Jill Biden’s sparkly blue one came from Alexandra O’Neill. But amidst the jewel-tone coats and suits, former presidential candidate and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I) fashion.