Category Archive

last names

This is a perennial hot topic for our readers — is it un-feminist to change your last name after the wedding? Should you hyphenate? How is early is too early to start using your married name? And how the hell do you change your last name after the wedding?! (That one has an easy answer.)

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How do you get someone to stop addressing things to your non-existent married name?

My husband and I have been married for six years now and most of the family is fully aware of the fact that I kept my last name — actually, I’m sure my in-laws are well aware of this. But my mother-in-law keeps addressing mail and checks to me as if I had changed my name.

How do I address this issue in hopes of getting her to quit without being confrontational?

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Kerry & Kevin’s timey-wimey romantic Earthy wedding

Flower crowns, lush green and blue hues, bright ribbons on the maypole, and a gorgeous, corseted blue gown… I think a fair few of you are going to swoon over this one. Plus, these Earth-loving cuties took their Pagan leanings to the next level in their whole new last name! You have to read about it. Oh, and watch out for the “pair o’ Docs” lurking around the dance floor. You can’t trust those two.

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Say goodbye to your old name and welcome the new with a “name burning”

I decided I want to do a name burning. I don’t mean name burning as if I am taking things with my last name and burning them like a book burning. More like a camp fire — or in our case a lot of candles — and sit around and just chat about who I am. This will let me put the past behind me.

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The best decision I made in my marriage? Keeping my name.

There are many, many stories out there about why women have chosen to change their names upon getting married. In fact, a recent survey by TheKnot.com stated that 86 percent of women getting married are changing their names. Furthermore, another survey by the Gender and Society Journal has stated that about half of the participants think that changing one’s name should be a requirement for marriage.

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OPEN THREAD: Is keeping my ex-husband’s last name disrespectful to my fiance?

I feel greatly conflicted. At this stage in my life, I resent the burden of having to change my name (again) when men have the privilege of bypassing this antiquated and gendered tradition. As a woman, why must this “choice” be thrust upon me and why must I face judgment from others? How do I respond to others who feel that retaining my current last name is disrespectful to my fiance?

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Top 5 reasons hyphenated names are awesome

Offbeat intern, Becca, and her sister brainstormed why their hyphenated last name kicks ass. Here’s our top five reasons!