Amal Alamuddin has changed her name professionally

[EhricLovesTheBhrothers]

I'm actually disappointed. Her choice blah blah but honestly. Successful women who change their names professionally always strike me as either stupid or coerced and I'm sure that's unfair I'm not really but honestly why be so committed to the concept of the obliteration of the unmarried self that you allow it to impact on your professional reputation and renown?

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.

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

that was to gun

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.

no one has said that she is stupid

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

Widow You suggest that it is a neutral choice. I disagree. The societal expectation that a woman will change her name is a vestige of the common law doctrine of coverture, whereby a woman's legal existence was entirely subsumed in her husband's when she married; in other words, she became his property. That's some powerful symbolism, in my opinion.

This whole thread is about Amal's decision to change her name as not being feminist. I am assuming she made this choice based on what's good for her and her family or is the feminist movement more important ?

I haven't read all of the threa but I just wanted to ask a quick question.
If the social norm after getting married is for a woman to change we name (rightly or wrongly) why is changing a name career damaging?
Are we saying in order for women to be successful they have to appear single and unmarried? Isn't that a little 1950's?

"ly) why is changing a name career damaging? "

Because people you meet before you marry might not be able to find you after you marry (on linked in, on an invitee list at a conference, on the new publications or articles you've written etc)

It's nothing at all to do with appearing to be unmarried!

Well until George releases his next film and proves otherwise, I am going to assume that they have swapped names and he is now known professionally as George Almuddin.

Sholer what's a little 1950s is thinking that if a woman's name doesn't change throughout her life, that indicates that she's single and unmarried. It shouldn't indicate that. The reason it shouldn't indicate that, is that it doesn't for men, so women should have the same freedom not to be judged or assessed on their marital status, or indeed for their marital status to be public knowledge that can be deduced from their title.