Vanderpump Rules cast member Raquel Leviss has been called many things by many people. A cheater, unempathetic, and even morally corrupt. But it seems the last thing she wants to be called is Rachel, her given name.
Many have found Raquel’s preferred name annoying and performative, including Lala Kent. Lala and Raquel have always had a bit of friction between them, as showcased in their unaired fight.
In a recent TikTok, Lala even communicated through an impression that Raquel was emotionless. Okay Lala, tell us how you really feel. Well, she did just that, telling the alleged story behind Raquel’s moniker in an interview on The View.
Raquel? Rachel? Does it matter?
Joy Behar was initially just trying to get the Scandoval story straight. When she asked about Raquel, her cohosts informed her that her real name is Rachel. “So they call her Raquel?” Joy asked, to which her cohosts responded, “Because she’s a phony!” and “Because she thinks it’s sexier.”
This led Lala to decide to tell the real story. Lala explained, “She asked her mom if she could change it when she was five because there was a prima ballerina that lived across the street named Raquel. So, identity issues have been happening for a long time,” she joked.
Okay, this might be a controversial take, but maybe we shouldn’t really have a problem with Raquel wanting to go by Raquel. In the grand scheme of things — compared to all the VPR and reality TV drama we could talk about — it’s just not a big deal. In fact, it distracts from the valid reasons to criticize Raquel.
But moreover, in this day and age, the discourse around what a person wants to be called has become vicious. Ultimately, using someone’s preferred identifiers is just a display of decency and a recognition of their humanity. We shouldn’t get to take away someone’s humanity, even if, like Raquel, they aren’t acting in total morality. But maybe I’m making too big a deal of this.
The Vanderpump Rules Season 10 reunion concludes on Wednesday, June 7, at 9/8c on Bravo.
TELL US – DO YOU THINK RAQUEL’S CHOSEN NAME IS JUST A PROJECTION OF HER ISSUES? SHOULD WE RESPECT THAT SHE WANTS TO BE CALLED RAQUEL?
