you changed your name!? on the evolution of identity.

When some friends of mine started getting married, and replacing their maiden name with their husband’s surname, I admit there was a part of me that rolled my eyes and thought- oh well, another one bites the dust.

 

my wedding day
my happy wedding day

I felt like I had lost them somehow, that the person I had known was now someone else, and one blindly buying into a patriarchal tradition of always taking on a man’s name.

 

At that point I hadn’t really thought it through. When I did start researching the topic for myself, I quickly realized how much more complex and personal a name change is, and learned not to judge my friends, and to not only accept, but embrace their new identities. Yes, some blindly continue the tradition without thinking it through, but for many women, this is a carefully considered, and even feminist decision.

 

Because surnames are patrilineal – your maiden name is usually your father’s name, not your mother’s. Even if you take your mother’s name, it’s your mother’s fathers name, not your mother’s mother’s, and even if it was, it would be your grandmother’s father’s! If you take your father’s name, it’s your father’s fathers name. In other words, most people are walking around with their paternal grandfather’s name.

 

It’s not any more feminist to take one father’s name or another. If you want to truly break the patriarchal patrilineal cycle, choose a brand new name- make one up. But we get attached to our identities and names! Everyone knows me by this name! A shift in identity rather than a brand new one seems more realistic.

 

My name is Maria Olson Goins. I was born Maria Anna Olson. I was for a while Maria A. Olson. Close friends and family call me Masha (the Russian nickname for Maria). On Instagram I am mashagoins, on Twitter mashaluna. Sometimes I’m called Ms Olson, sometimes Ms Goins, sometimes Mrs Goins, and sometimes Ms Olson Goins. Thank God I am never referred to as Mrs Olson- that is my mother’s name, AND my stepmother’s name. Cringe.

 

I have spent most of my life navigating identities and cultures, and researching from a gender lens how we construct our identities, and how these constructs become political, how they can cause conflict, in this case social conflict.

 

I experienced this phenomenon first hand recently, when a married friend of mine judged me super aggressively for having added my husband’s last name to my maiden name. She tried to present her attack in feminist terms, but her attack was the opposite of feminist- it was arrogant, judgmental, and narrow-minded, and a depressing example of how women can tear each other down.

 

It was also a fascinating account of how it really bothers some friends when you change, whether you change your name, or your bad habits. Some feel threatened, or jealous, or unable to create change for themselves.

 

In the middle of a cocktail gathering, said friend, let’s call her Theodora, first took the liberty of pointedly introducing me by my old name. Silly, but I didn’t correct her. Then she got all in my face demanding to know why I took my husband’s name, and why he didn’t take mine. I responded by pointing out that I kept my maiden name and added my husband’s surname, and calmly explained some of my very personal reasons, because the fact that I wanted to clearly did not satisfy her.

a feminist honoring her husband
me and the hubs

 

I kept my childhood name, but I wanted to add to it. My identity shifted when I got married, it was a magical beautiful shift that I wanted to symbolize. I am not the same person anymore, I am so much more, and for me, that more meant sculpting a slightly more modern identity, made of three names. Three names with five letters, three and five being my favorite numbers.

 

I also adore my supportive and caring family in law, love my husband and his name, and wanted to honor him, and my new family. I cannot say the same for my husband’s relationship with parts of my family, and I certainly would not WANT him to take my father’s name- double cringe! He is not Mr. Olson- that’s my father!

 

But my PERSONAL decision to change my name is nobody’s business. I am a feminist and I make choices that are the best for me, and MY family- the new me  being a married woman with her own family.

 

By the way, Theodora did not create a new name, oh no, she took her stepfather’s name, not her mother’s maiden name, or her father’s name- she identifies herself by her mother’s second husband’s name! How is that supposed to be more feminist? But I don’t judge her for that, it’s clearly a critically important construct of her identity that she fiercely needs to justify. She is choosing to honor her mother’s second husband over honoring her husband. That doesn’t make her a bad wife, and I respect her choice, though I don’t understand it. But we should support other women, and embrace their carefully thought-out choices, even if we don’t agree with them.

 

Interestingly enough, three of my girlfriends have changed their first names, maybe that is unusual, and a reflection of the fact that to the most part I attract people flexible and embracing of change. All three of them experienced similar defensive reactions from others. Every time one of them told me about it, I was supportive and happy for them. For various reasons, they felt their identity shift, and they wanted a name that reflected it. Maybe they had outgrown the name given to them by their parents, maybe they always wanted a different name, or maybe it’s none of my business why!

 

Our identities are fluid, and constantly evolving. I found it very empowering to create my new evolved identity. I think it’s very empowering to claim and own your name – if you’re not happy with something, change it! Being stuck in an old identity and name that is not serving the woman you’ve become is not feminist, it shows how sometimes we cannot let go of  our carefully constructed self-mythologies. Sometimes we’ll even pick a fight with a friend, because their ability to change is brushing up against our own shit.

 

Analyze where your judgements are coming from. Identities are highly personal, and constantly evolving and shifting. Feminism is about freedom, and choices, it’s not an either/or binary dichotomy, it’s not boys vs. girls as Taylor Swift thinks!

 

And if you want to now call yourself Theodora, I’m cool with that.

 

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9 Comments

  1. Love your post!!! I found myself thinking about this very topic a few weeks ago. I did research and googled the approach some women take on this. . I just say we do “whatever makes us happy”. We are all different, with different perspectives and opinions. Besos y abrazos XOXOXO Miss ya!!

  2. I agree, name changing is definitely a personal decision–I don’t think it’s fair to judge those who do or those who don’t. I personally think changing isn’t so bad. I think it’s symbolic, you’re starting a new life, so why not take a new name? Now, for me, the guy has to have a last name that’s greater than or equal to mine. I can’t go from Furey to Smith! Furey to Manganiello, on the other hand…;)

  3. Here was my perspective. I just wasn’t fond of the name I had. He had a better name.

    My other main reason was simplicity. I have a hard enough time remembering all the birthdays and health/medical info for our family as it is. Sometimes it’s as simple as one name makes my life easier..makes filling out forms easier, makes it easier not to get called the wrong name, etc. Not everything has to mean so much, not every decision involves me spending hours finding the most feminist way I can do it.

  4. I totally think that it’s everyone’s personal choice and no one can make it for you. BUT I don’t like the argument of “well, it’s your father’s name” because that’s a terrible reason to perpetrate a patriarchal tradition – we wouldn’t say that about anything else. Of course, if you have your own reasons that’s great, but I don’t think that aspect should be part of the issue.

  5. Fantastic post! Names are very personal things and from first hand experience it is a VERY scary thing to do. Luckily I have had more supporters than not and in the end I don’t mind what someone calls me. Some family members feel a strong connection to the little girl they always knew with my old name which is fine by me. I was also scared that I would hurt my parents feelings by changing my name. In the end it was my call and I’ve had great support. Thanks for the post and the empathetic perspective!

  6. Wonderful analysis of the situation! Just last night I conversed with a friend about how people get angry/defensive when they tell me they don’t like my nickname because it wasn’t the ones my parents chose for me. Parents also don’t always pick your friends, the food you eat, your new apartment, and there comes a point when you go with the name that best identifies with who you identify with.

    Going by CoCoa in junior high school was my first bold, confident decision. I was the “fat girl”, had speech impediment, picked on severely; and the year I became CoCoa, I unraveled! To this day, when people find out that my first name isn’t CoCoa they always say, “you look like a CoCoa.”

    Ultimately, I no longer care. With or without the approval of the defensives, I am still CoCoa. If someone wants to find problem with my nickname, they can until they devote their energies to another trivial matter.

    Recently, I lost touch with a close childhood friend because we are both changing. Like you say, “[it’s] also a fascinating account of how it really bothers some friends when you change, whether you change your name, or your bad habits. Some feel threatened, or jealous, or unable to create change for themselves.” There comes a point when you can’t be bothered with someone else’s insecurities, especially when they are projected onto you.

    Live your life,

    C-o-C-o-a!

  7. “She is choosing to honor her mother’s second husband over honoring her husband”. No, and no.
    Well, maybe SHE personally is, you’d have to ask her, but I doubt that most women keeping their maiden names see it as ‘honoring’ one person over another. I know I didn’t when I got married. Besides, many people have an out-of-the-picture or dead-beat father’s last name. If last names are about honor, shouldn’t we encourage these people to change their names sooner in life then?

    Choosing to take his name is one thing but doing it particularly ‘to show honor’ using a tradition of ownership and patrichary doesn’t really jive with equality given our current system of inequality that we live in. If you think taking his name does show a pure sense of non-ownership honor (I am yours, you are mine, type of thing) that’s cool, I totally can respect that. However, then I can’t image why both spouses would not honor each other by taking each other’s last names. Doing it just one way would be an imbalance of honor and would be disrespectful by your own logic.

    “I certainly would not WANT him to take my father’s name- double cringe! Mr. Olson that’s my father!” Umm, most women who take their husband’s last name have their husband’s mother’s name – Mrs. HisLastname. Shouldn’t that be just as cringe-worthy?!? If you don’t think so, you really should explore why.

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