Woman Opens Up On Being Called IKEA After Parents Saw Advert For Store
A teen called Ikea has revealed how she changed her name after school bullies dubbed her 'flat pack' in cruel jokes about the Swedish furniture store.
Jasmine Dagless, 19, was named Ikea at birth after her mum saw a TV advert for the company while pregnant.
But Jasmine, who has only visited Ikea once, has to put up with years of a decade of teasing before legally changing her name.
Jasmine said: "I used to get called flat pack quite a lot at primary school.
"The bullying really shocked me because young children don't know about Ikea.
"I legally changed my name when I was in secondary school.
"It's only legally that I get called Jasmine. My family still call me Ikea, or 'Kea' for short."
Jasmine, an NHS admin assistant, said that her mum agreed to the name change - despite the family enjoying perks from Ikea after her birth.
She said: "When I was younger my mum got a letter from Ikea that basically said we could get furniture and toys free of charge.
"I got a few toys and my mum got a sofa."
Jasmine is now using the middle name chosen by her dad while keeping Ikea as her middle name.
Despite not being on the best of terms with the store, she has stayed loyal by furnishing her flat with a branded six-drawer commode - and is considering buying a built-in wardrobe as well.
You can't really ignore those prices, can you? Let's be honest.
Jasmine, from Norwich, said she is keen to visit her local Ikea on a sentimental trip.
Her name was changed when she was aged 12 in 2014.
Of course, Jasmine changed her name because it was previously causing her issues, some people bring it upon themselves.
One man altered his name to 'Salmon Dream' without realising it's permanent.
It came about after a sushi outlet had the fantastic idea of offering free all-you-can-eat meals for six, so long as one diner had 'gui yu' - the Chinese characters for salmon - in their name.
So, why wouldn't you change your name to 'Salmon Dream'? That's the real question.
Rebecca Shepherd