What's in a name?


Names. We all have them. We use them everyday. Our names are what we use to define us, who we are.

 The process of changing your name, as a woman, is both terrifyingly simple, and devastatingly complex. 

 When I changed my name after my wedding, the process was simple. Straightforward. Banks, the DVLA, Passport... All were happy with the click of a button and the marriage cert... which, technically doesn't actually state your 'new' surname on it. They all just assume that you're changing to your husband's name. Voila. Done.

 The same isn't true in the other direction... The process of reclaiming ME, my original identity, has taken far longer than it did to lose it.  The paperwork is far more complex. The order in which you reclaim your name far more precise than that in which you lost it.

 I'm still working on getting my identity back. But when I do, because I gave it up for a while, I'll need to remember that I need to carry a lot more paperwork every time I take my LG out of the country, because our names don't match... 

Comments

  1. Awel26 August 2019 at 17:03

    Not fair is it? No where on the marriage certificate does a woman actually sign as anything other than the surname she was given at birth yet it is automatically assumed that once we are married we also lose our identity as individuals!! One for the equal rights people I think.

    ReplyDelete

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