‘I guess I got my name kind of out of hate’
Cameo Brown isn’t crazy about her first name because it’s challenging for some people to say correctly.
“My mom was getting married in the ’70s. She wanted to wear a keyhole dress that would have exposed her a little. So she asked her mother if she could wear the cameo that’s been in the family to help cover up.
Cameo Brown got her name because of this family necklace.
“My grandmother was very reluctant to let her. She finally said, ‘You can wear it. But as soon as you’re done getting married, I’m going to take it back because you’ll lose it.’ As soon as my mom said her vows and came back down the aisle, my grandmother ripped the cameo off the dress.
“My mom was very upset about it and told her, ‘My first daughter will be named Cameo, and you’ll never be able to take her away from me.’ So I guess I got my name kind of out of hate.
“I can’t say that I love my name. A lot of times, people say it wrong. They say Camille or Camaro. And I’m like, ‘Really? That’s not my name.’
“I remember getting teased about it in school because even teachers couldn’t say it right. One time in junior high, a teacher refused to say my first name. She tried to call me by my middle name, but I wouldn’t answer to that. I mean, come on. It’s not that hard.”
— Cameo Brown
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