I get that question a lot.
And long story short, growing up Catholic in a small Wisconsin town, somehow my nickname came to be Jezebel. Jessica...Jessicabelle...Jessebelle...Jezebel...I hated it.
You likely know a bit about the bibilical character Jezebel and the negative connotations associated with the name. And THAT was not how I wanted people thinking of me, at age eight, in Sunday School.
Yet the nickname persisted and it wasn't until a college Women's History class, I learned that perhaps Jezebel was not this evil woman. In fact, like much of biblical history, the story of Jezebel has now been rewritten. Modern thinking identifies Jezebel as a strong and assertive woman. Now, I'll take THAT.
Jezebel is also the name of a very special butterfly.
The Jezebel is brightly colored; displaying brilliant shades of cobalt, orange, black and white. Indigenous to India the Jezebel can be found flying high among the trees, spending most of its time above the canopy.
But unlike other butterflies--who spend their time below the canopy and have their bright coloring on the upperside of their wings, the Jezebel's colors adorn the underside of its wings.
The Jezebel is the only known butterfly to have uniquely adapted itself in this way--to a life flying high among the trees, unlike all the other butterflies.
And long story short, growing up Catholic in a small Wisconsin town, somehow my nickname came to be Jezebel. Jessica...Jessicabelle...Jessebelle...Jezebel...I hated it.
You likely know a bit about the bibilical character Jezebel and the negative connotations associated with the name. And THAT was not how I wanted people thinking of me, at age eight, in Sunday School.
Yet the nickname persisted and it wasn't until a college Women's History class, I learned that perhaps Jezebel was not this evil woman. In fact, like much of biblical history, the story of Jezebel has now been rewritten. Modern thinking identifies Jezebel as a strong and assertive woman. Now, I'll take THAT.
Jezebel is also the name of a very special butterfly.
The Jezebel is brightly colored; displaying brilliant shades of cobalt, orange, black and white. Indigenous to India the Jezebel can be found flying high among the trees, spending most of its time above the canopy.
But unlike other butterflies--who spend their time below the canopy and have their bright coloring on the upperside of their wings, the Jezebel's colors adorn the underside of its wings.
The Jezebel is the only known butterfly to have uniquely adapted itself in this way--to a life flying high among the trees, unlike all the other butterflies.
jessica@jezebelmedia.com
ph: 707.227.9102
ph: 707.227.9102