Amal Alamuddin has changed her name professionally

Since 1983 in Greece (where I come from) women have been obliged by law to keep their original surname. If a woman really wants to change it to her husband's she has to go to court and jump through hoops, and it's not worth the hassle. Now, because Greek women keep their surnames it doesn't mean they're the most emancipated and independent women in the world.

I focus on the intelligent woman that she is and the work that she does. Her name is her business.

scrap my response - buffy's was much more reasoned and i agree with that

Angels, when you say "all those" posters, how many do you mean?

I changed my name. Mostly to get a name which was easier to spell and pronounce than my maiden name.

To say that a woman must not change her name in my view is just as bad as saying she must change it.

Changing her name is neither a feminist nor an unfeminist choice, but just a personal one: after all she has not issued a statement saying that that's the only right thing to do.

i don't read it the same way as you, clearly

Petula, I would suggest re-reading the 3rd sentence of the OP.

EhricLovesTheBhrothers, err yes, it does make good business sense not to change name if you're already well known under one name. What is potentially harmful to your career is if people can't find you to do business with you or you're seen to "disappear". That's not the problem that Amal has, and I had already clearly made this point in a much earlier post.

no one has said that she is stupid

I assume all those that are calling Amal 'stupid' are so intelligent that they could be an international lawyer earning millions a year?
No? Didn't think so.

that was to gun

absolutely - that is the bind for women, and it is a natural decision. i am enormously admiring of women who frequently and consistently put themselves in positions of discomfort and (at worst) danger for the benefit of women as a class. it is not something i do often enough, but i know my own limitations and current situation. but it shouldn't be that way. i don't think men find themselves in that position so much. there are women who have come to feminism through seeing how it could improve the lots of their own daughters and sons though

The OP was not worded in the best way. The use of the words stupid and coerced is probably not applicable to Amal's choice, given she's no walk-over. However, I do agree that her choice was not a feminist one, and to be hoping/expecting that a professionally successful, intelligent and highly visible woman who is working in the field of human rights no less, might make a feminist choice is fair enough. I half expect such a woman to be less susceptible to /more aware of the societal pressures on women to comply with unequal practices. But it wasn't to be. It's not right to hold it against her, because to demand from any individual woman that they be a feminist example because they are successful and famous is not right.

But I am a bit disappointed that feminism now doesn't have this example of a high profile woman making a feminist choice. And I am also disappointed that my expectations were apparently too high. We've got a long way to go.

I'm curious to know why some say they were proud to change their name. Proud of what, exactly?

In any case, I don't think i will be making choices based on how it affects women. I make my choices based on consequences for me and my family. That is how i prioritise life. On the other hand what if my choice benefits one group of women but not others or it has a very negative impact for my children? or immediate family.

Who gets to decide what is a good choice for women and what is bad??

Should she make herself miserable for the good of womankind? no one will call her a hero.

i know i'm not saying anything new here. i'm confused as to why you thought i might be

i don't think anyone makes choices in a vacuum, i have repeatedly said the opposite. i think it is ok, and we seem to be agreeing on this, to examine at a society level why more women that men are making this vacuum-less choice to change their name on marriage

i am sure there will always be some outward pressures on decisions, even if we have a society that is free of gendered violence and stereotyping which currently restricts the choices of women far more than it does men. however, i don't see that there is any need for there to be any when it comes to name-changing even as we are now. and there are outward pressures currently, that is certain. what or how or if those might have influenced amal i don't know, but i haven't made any assumptions about her decision on this thread

I'm talking about Amal because she's a high profile woman with a successful career. That's why it's so inexplicable to me. Married SAHMs don't have the same consequences to name changing.

This puzzles me. Why should a woman that has a successful career be held to a different level than a married SAHM? This smacks of inequality itself. She should keep her name because she's high profile and it's important for feminism, but you there that don't make any money and aren't well known, we don't care what you do?

That's actually a bit offensive IMO. Talk about double standards.

But you are not saying anything new here, most women try to do what you are describing to the best of their ability. i don't think we will ever be able to make choices that are not influenced by our macro environment. However back to my initial point that OP and some others were being very judgemental and overly opinionated on something that really they had no right to, as no one knows what influenced Amal's or any other women's decision to change their names, or are you assuming most women make their choices in a vacuum?

Good for her!

Amal has changed her name because she wants to change her name.

Good :)

surely if we are going to discuss this on a societal level (as agreed is an acceptable thing to do) we have to look at what influences women more than men to change their name on marriage?

Surely that's up to her? I was very proud to change my name when I got married, I imagine she is too. Can't see the big deal so long as it was her choice.

I think it's important not to forget the real struggle we have on our hands: EQUAL PAY

Who cares what we choose to call ourselves. Quite possibly Amal wants to simplify her life. (As an aside, the first time I saw her name I thought she was called Anal).

Fwiw I gave my DD my family name. My DH has his mother's too.
Spanish names always contain the mothers name.

it's not my "theory". i was just making the point, as many ahve here already and far more eloquently, that there are choices but they are not free of influence