Behind The Awkwardness: Fish Out Of Water
May 10th, 2011
“This was my birthday present– fins and a mask. I’m not sure what is the most awkward part of this photo…my sister lurking in the background, my unenthusiastic stance, or the arrows on my suit pointing to my hoo-hoo.”
(submitted by Andrea)
We call is ‘junk’.
When I was little it was always “Fanny” for the girls and “Willie” for the boys, because I live in Australia. One day my dad decided to read me those “Willy the Wimp” books… baaaaad idea!
after reading through these comments, i’m amazed at how frequently all your family members must talk about your hoo-hoo, cooch, tuppee, volvo, yoo-hoo, peeper, fanny, gogo, roody-doo, snack, twinkie, hairy taco, yumyum, knickknack, paddywhack, McV, tapatio, wiVi, cookie, peachy, and Her Majesty.
I’m thinking you probably need to spend more time watching tv, and less time conversating (sic).
You forgot lala.
We call ours a “lady” lol!
Hooh-ha, & girl parts were our terms of choice. My fiancee calls it “Her Majesty.”
We call ours a “peachy”. Not sure how it started, but that’s what my 2 year old calls hers!
My sister worked in a nursing home and one old lady there called it her “Murphy”. In our family it was our “cooch” or “pootie”.
BTW – does anyone else think it sounds like a body part nickname when they talk on the news about Russian leader Vladimir Putin? “Sit with your legs together, sweetie. You don’t want people to be able to see your putin….” LOL
We called it a vagini, or VJ DJ. I think vj/dj should be the name they teach in school
and at bible class.
You say “vagina”; I say “hoo hoo”. Let’s call the ‘hole” thing off.
thats just so many shades of wrong…
This is just freaking great! Thank you Andrea and girl, you’ve got guts!
This one should be in the Hall of Fame…classic!
I’ve heard it called a pooty poo.
At my house it was called a “cookie”. “Your cookie is showing”…if your dress was riding up. Watch the “Brady Bunch” girls acting awkward with their short dresses on. They were always trying to tug them down. That’s how we wore our dresses then. I never figured out why my mom called it that but now that I’m all grown up I might… ;o)
I am a nurse and have occasion to hear many an euphemism for the female and male genital area. I have heard scores of elderly ladies refer to it as their hoo-hoo. As a matter of fact I have never heard any actual reference to it as much else in the 70+ age group. I have deemed it the professional word to use because my attempts at much else has resulted in confusion on their part. “Down there” can work if desperate to not sound like an 8 year old.
Happy you got your birthday wish.
In my family it’s a woo-woo or a Lucy.
Lucy! I love it!
Lucy at our house too! I thought my daughter was going to choke on her gum the first time she was introduced to a lady named Lucy. She kept asking “Her name is Lucy??!!!”
Hey! Lucy is my dog’s name!!
We always called it “lucy” too! And here I thought we were the only ones to name our hoo hoo!
Is that where the show got its name I LOVE LUCY ?
LOL
No wonder I LOVE LUCY!!
As a small child, the only time I needed to refer to my hoo-hoo I didn’t know what the heck to call it. So I called it my “front fanny”. Even then I knew that was stupid, but what the heck……
In Britain your fanny is always at the front. The back is your bum/ass/arse/bottom/butt etc.
Ironically, to much of the English-speaking world “fanny” does refer to the “hoo-hoo”.
Agreed. Here in Australia your “hoo-hoo” is your fanny.
Yeah, I noticed that the song “take a load off Fanny” is sung as “Take a load off Annie” in a DVD i saw of brits singing it. Then there’s the American “Fanny Pack”. Must have been a good joke over there.
Yup. We aussies think it is hilarious Americans call it a “fanny”. When our American exchange student came to our school we were quite explicit it was not to be called a “fanny pack” it was most definitely a “bum bag”!!
This was so me circa 1985…..back before the term “tween” was coined, but definitely not before that awkward, hormone ridden phase existed just the same.
Slumped over and unenthusiastic with a questionable haircut and a swimsuit with seemingly no regard by my hoo-hah or my….erm….”lumpiness” in the chest.
Yeahhhh those were the days. Now my kid is going through it all I can do is shake my head and try to cheer her up whenever possible.
Cheers to you and your hoo-hoo Andrea! (You say hoo-hoo, I say hoo-hah…..it’s ok we can still be friends)
Did the flippers have built in socks?
The theory of that suit design, as I recall, was that it would provide the illusion of curves on less shapely individuals. As you can see, it worked great.
I think the most awkward part is an adult calling her genitals a “hoo-hoo.”
Exactly my thought!
What would you suggest, the “v” word? If you have a better euphemism, let’s hear it!
Yeah, but, “genitals” doesn’t have quite the same ring now does it? Not half as funny.
“Genitals” is clinical. “Hoo-hoo” is funny. What is this, a website for the Mayo Clinic? C’mon. Besides, that’s probably what she called it at the time the photo was taken, so it is both funny and appropriate when you take that into consideration.
I just wish humorless people would go read the Wall Street Journal or something and leave those of us who enjoy a lighthearted laugh alone.
Exactly!
no, clearly the most awkward part is someone leaving a comment ridiculing someone else for posting a CHILDHOOD picture and using a CHILDHOOD term in the caption.
The purple hoo hoo should get revenge,post something of your parents,also I like the follow up of you and your sister ideal.Really Funny!!
Sorry thats green.
Actually, on my monitor anyway, the hoo-hoo is blue.
Sounds like a great title for a Dr. Suess book, doesn’t it?
The Blue Hoo-Hoo and the Blue Pool-Pool…..by Dr. Seuss.
Those are not regulation-size fins. And where I work, it’s called a foofee.
Hoo-Hah here in my family…..in case we’re taking a poll.
I had that swimsuit, except mine was purple, green and white stripes. It was the Ocean Pacific brand (or knockoff) that was the must-have brand, directional hoo-hah chevrons and all!
BTW, the proper term is “roody-doo.”
I think “roody-doo” deserves a team as well! My aunt called it a “kitty bluebird.” The reason why remains a mystery…
I’ve heard “kitty bluebird” before but had no idea what it meant – now I’m enlightened.
It’s also a “grinny”or simply “downstairs.”
as a child, my sister called it her ‘front bum’.
shaw-shee is the word of choice in my family, but I think I’m adopting kitty bluebird from now on, it’s much more colorful
My mother called it a ‘go go’ – my brother’s too. The rear end was called a hino (hy-no). Imagine MY confusion when ‘Go Go girls’ and ‘Go Go boots’ and ‘go go dancing’ came on the scene!! : 0
Kitty bluebird??? HAHAHAHAHA. I told my daughter and her friend last night “put your legs together or everyone’s gonna see your kitty!”. Hysterical 12 year
These P.C. terms are absolutely hilarious! Best laugh I’ve had all week. Thank you! “Kitty Bluebird”?! *snort* What the heck?! I heard my EX use the term “HooChee” once.
I’ve heard hoochee too or coochee, as my Italian in-laws say…..cooch for short.
With two daughters, we use “hooey”, “fanny”, “hoo-hoo” and “twinkie” depending on the occasion.
My sister in law has a Coach purse that was given to her as a gift. Being more your garden variety Wal Mart purse carrier at heart, she loves to refer to it as her “cooch”. So if we’re going shopping she’ll say “OK Hold on, let me grab my cooch”. LOL. I like twinkie, myself, original!
Coochie is what my family always called, must be an Italian thing.
My friend always called her Volvo a Vul-vah. Same thought process, I guess!
OMG we have a Volvo wagon and we also call it the “Vulva haha
Could keep up with the speed of a great white with those fins. Either that or be able to walk across Lake Erie in the summertime.
PERFECTION
Us latch key kids grew up so outside supervision & in the infancy of MTV, this site is our ultimate revenge against parents who had know ideal what style was.
If only we had video of your parents shame! They’ve been outed.
HEY AND DON’T PLEAD POVERTY! That’s BS!
Arrows . . . definitely the arrows.
It’s awesome and awkward that someone (your parents, I’m sure) needed to document the birthday gift with a picture! They were so proud that they’d gotten you what you’d wanted or thought you wanted, perhaps you’d envisioned the fins in a smaller size and a color not black!
thanks for sharing.
your comment, too funny! + the suit does not seem to fit at all well, perhaps it is thrown akimbo by the giant fins??
Erm… anyone seen The Graduate?
Ahahaha yes it is Benjamin Braddock all over again! The same depressed, apathetic stance, the same kind of costume (minus the weird bathers, of course)…of course, he did not have a “hoo hoo”.
“I have one word to sat you, Benjamin – PLASTICS.”
*say to you* damn keyboard!
I’m gonna go out on a limb here, and vote Hoo – Hoo.
Team Hoo-Hoo
In my family everyone always called it your cooter…lol
Well, did you like your present? Can’t see if you are actually smiling under that mask or not. You look very uncomfortable!!
Another great thing about this photo, and really everything about this photo is great, is that the pool looks tiny. I’m sure it’s just the angle of the shot and the way it’s cut off, but the pool looks way too small to accommodate both the child and the fins.
Yeah, I was thinking the same. One swish of the fins and all the water would be gone from the pool.
Hoo-hoo? Were you standing on an owl?
bahahahahahahahahahaha … winner!
Are u going to use all that in the kiddie pool? Great pic
Your hoo what?
Oh my! Everything is funny about this! Especially your comment. I’m now having a flashback: I remember when that suit and pattern was very popular. Because of my age back then the “Hoo Hoo”/pattern relationship NEVER occured to me. Now, years later…I’m remembering how many of my girl friends had them….the suit I mean…
Please, this screams for a “where are you and you sister now” follow up comment!
Andrea here! My sister and I are doing quite well considering our dad making us pose for pictures like this. We laugh at this picture (and others) regularly. For my 30th birthday my sister threw me a surprise party and the invitation was this picture! Funny comments everyone! We’ve laughed really hard all day long…
That’s hilarious! Perfect 30th invitation!!! I’m glad all is well. Yeah, my parents took some awkward photos of me too. I crawl under a rock every time my mom digs up my old high school diving team photos….70′s circa speedo and all! To think I used to go to the beach like that! YEEESH! I wouldn’t do that now with gun to my head….
Others?? There are others??? Post please!
Too funny – booty fins to boot
I also had a swimsuit like this, only mine was yellow and black so I looked like a road sign. I hated that suit.
Ahhh. A bumble bee colored roadsign pointing to the hoo hoo. Great! Sooo…..you have pics of this or what? LOL
Looks like your sister is praying for you…she obviously didn’t pray hard enough. Geez, sorry birthday girl.
Those fins are freakin huge!
The suit design, oh my…certainly the most awkward feature in this photo…
Awkwardness abounds in this photo…. Wow…. good job
It’s the hoo-hoo part, Andrea.
I believe the proper slang is “hoohah”.
actually it just depends on where you are or who raised you, personally i say vay-j-j
are you a lost kardashian, they know not of the term vulva!
“proper slang” ??
That’d be an oxymoron if ever I heard one!!!
Yoo-hoo was the term of choice where I grew up.
I guess it depends on where you’re from…my grandma’s word was “tuppee.” No idea why.
When I was little, my mom called it a peeper and when my sister was little, our mom started calling it squash. Made Jeepers Creepers and certain veggies kind of awkward.
Electric Mayhem, now that made me laugh. Ha!
LOL!
Killed me! Hilarious!
Well, that is what it’s for, afterall!
I’m with Joe on this one, it’s “hoo-hah” in my family too.
Well actually my mother just calls it a sn****…..but in my house “hoo-hah” it is!
I started giggling as soon as I saw the photo, and then laughed out loud when I read the caption. All my co-workers immediately gathered round to see what was so funny.
We would like to nominate this as the AFP Pic(k) of the Day!
i loved that Andrea was brave enough to share this with the world AND tell the story behind it!
I loved the awkwardness of the photo and the funny caption that she wrote under it! The girls got guts!