Thursday, July 9, 2009

mrs joe smith?

dear valentine,


i was attending a wedding over the weekend and everything was just lovely. the food, the music, the decor, all of it. as i made my way to my assigned table with dear hubby in tow, i was all set to enjoy my night. thats when i saw it. the name card at our seats said "mr and mrs joe smith". wth.


few things make me as angry as the so called "etiquette" of addressing a lady by her husband's name. why has our society not moved past this antiquated, sexist tradition? is it not enough that i gave up my last name upon marriage, but i'm expected to relinquish my first name too? why is the wife's first name simply absorbed into her husbands?


i flatly refuse to open any letter addressed to "mrs joe smith". she doesn't exist, there is no such person. if they intend for me to read something it better be written to "mrs jane smith" or it gets tossed in the trash (or recycling :)



fighting for women's first names,



p.s. oh, this wouldn't be a demosthenes letter without something perversely hilarious, this is for your enjoyment!

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

Okay, lawl, that banner is hilarious :P

And I know what you mean by the Mr and Mrs thing. I'm not married [17's a little too young for that methinks], but I'm not sure I look forward to being called that when I do. Guh. I wonder when such sexist norms will change... Le sigh.

Great post! :DD

Alicia said...

amen sister!! and i love that picture!! i'm so glad people remember their manners =)

Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice said...

Who does that anymore anyway? Well obviously dumba**es who are living in the WRONG century.

Anonymous said...

Too right. It always struck me as wrong in today's world to give up my surname but when it comes to giving up my Christian name as well then I'm with you, more often than not I'll totally ignore the letter since I don't know that person.

What a great site - absolutely filled with spark and zing. ...Not too many crocheted doilies to be had around here I suspect! :)

Anonymous said...

I love that sign!!! I had a hard time taking on my husband's last name when I got married...I felt like I'd lost a part of my identity. I don't even realize something is for me that has Mrs. and my last name on it!

Mrs. M said...

Too funny - Not sure if I have been addressed as such yet. But don't think it would bother me quite as much.... Have a great day! ;-)

B said...

You have no idea how much that whole Mr. and Mrs. thing irks me. My MIL sends us Christmas cards (because she feels like wasting a stamp and all that important stuff) and INSISTS on addressing it to us that way. Pisses me off. I love my husband, adore him really, but I am NOT my husband. I am my own person with my own name.

Atlanta said...

Yeah that Really CHAPS MY A$$ too! Whenever I Write out an address on an envelope to a couple I TRY to always put both of thier names on there. Unless of course, I dont particularly like one member of said couple... then Im a B and do it on purpose. Woops ;) Have a great Day and Remeber... Be Polite!! lol

Kimi said...

Ahhh etiquette. How I hate it. I'm small town and luckily hicks don't know much about etiquette :) so I don't have to deal with it.

Anonymous said...

That sign is fitting this week. It's what I want to say to most everyone.

valentine said...

i so agree! why is this lame tradition still around?

and in classic demosthenes style, hilariously perverse pic! effing awesome!

Anonymous said...

soooo...... angelcel...... i shouldn't post pics of that doily i just finished knitting?

beth said...

love the sign. hate being called by my husband's name. know what sucks even worse for me though...i have the same first name as my mother in law!!!! we live in the same neighborhood so i am given wrong prescriptions, wrong files at doctor's offices, everything. very annoying. however, it was super fun to tell my husband before our wedding that on that lucky day i would turn into his mother. hahahaha!

BonBon Rose Girls Kristin said...

How will I ever decide who is funnier, you or your sis?

Multiple personalities.. said...

I'm with you 100%...I've been married to my husband now for going on five years, but we've been together for almost 8. And I still use the last name I was born with. WTH should I change it just because I got married? My hubby doesn't really care...I had that last name when he first met me and fell in love with me, so why should I change it? I HATE seeing stuff addressed to "Mrs. Fred Jones"...it drives me bonkers and I get all twitchy like I wanna wring someone's neck! So thank you for sharing this! Hope you have a fabulous SITS day!

Anonymous said...

@ kristin. i am. ;)

Kristina P. said...

I love the way your blog is done! Love the letters.

From, Mrs. Adam Pulsipher

Marshmallow Circus said...

LOL the sign is hilarious.

Yeah, I flat out refuse any invitation that addresses me as my husband. Totally weird in my opinion.

Carolyn @ My Backyard Eden said...

That really gets to me! My mother in law has addressed cards to us like that for years. MY company even sends invites to Mr. and Mrs. Matt Smith. Hate it! Thanks for stopping by my blog!