Would you take on his last name? ( No, my name is my identity)

You’ll probably think that my obsession with these Hollywood hotties has ceased being funny but unless your last name is Depp, Reynolds or Ealy, I think I’ll pass. In truth, I think it’s sweet to take on a man’s last name, but it also gives me the sense that I belong to someone…and that is  a real problem.

Friday, May 10, 2013
Rachel Garuka

You’ll probably think that my obsession with these Hollywood hotties has ceased being funny but unless your last name is Depp, Reynolds or Ealy, I think I’ll pass. In truth, I think it’s sweet to take on a man’s last name, but it also gives me the sense that I belong to someone…and that is  a real problem. For starters, I was born alone and there is a very good chance I will die alone. That said, I want to leave the world as an individual and not someone’s belonging. I’m sure I will love my husband to death and pamper him in every way humanly possible but I will not belong to him. I will be his wife, not his Gucci suit. Two, I really like my name. Some people choose to make fun of it, translating it as ‘come back’ but I love it. Now, why would I give up my adorable name for something I probably can’t even pronounce? To be real, some people have far from cute names but I won’t give examples lest I offend anyone and find myself on a most wanted list. I’m sorry, call me mean, but I’m not going to walk around introducing myself to people only to kill them with laughter the second I leave. So, rather than spend my marital life cursing my husband’s not so cool name, I’ll just stick to mine. And since I plan on marrying a good man, a good man will excuse me from adopting his surname if it either sounds awkward with my first name, or if it’s just an awkward surname, period.Also, my name is my identity; it indicates my ethnicity. When I get married, I will give that good man my heart, my uterus and even my bloody bank account. My name is pretty much all I have left for me. Besides, being the diehard feminist and equal rights activist that I am, why shouldn’t he take on my name? Guys will jeer, sneer and call my bluff but I’m dead serious. The unfortunate fellow who will marry me will have  to go through the discussion of taking on my name…or we could agree to disagree and just keep our own names, which is what I wanted to begin with!Lastly, the whole paperwork hassle gives me a headache just thinking about it. I could save us both a lot of time, stress and money and just stick to my maiden name.