Ms.

“I can’t wait to be Mrs. X!!!”

“Of course I am PROUD to be Mrs.!!!!”

Honestly, don’t any of these people realize that by their prancing little logic their husbands/husbands-to-be don’t give a rat’s ass about being married?

Also, what is with people who think, or purport to think, that Ms. is a title for divorcees? Or – even worse – who think that it’s for unmarried women (as opposed to unmarried little girls, who are “Miss”)? More and more, it seems, online forms give only two options: “Mrs” or “Ms,” thus encouraging this idea. A 2003 study finds that younger people are more likely to think this way, and no wonder.

Look, everybody; you don’t like not trumpeting your marital status, fine – trumpet away. Don’t muddy everyone else’s water.

One final note: New Feminist dares anyone to find one example of a person who insisted on calling a woman Ms. Birth Name when s/he knew that that woman preferred Mrs. Husband’s Name. Our editor can, however, show you a stack of mail and cards addressed to Mrs. Husband’s Name by people who know that she prefers – and is – Ms. Birth Name.