What's in a name?
Is tradition more important than identity?
Amid all the hoo-ha over their recent wedding comes reports that Ashlee Simpson is set to take Pete Wentz's surname. Pretty soon, she'll be known professionally as Ashlee Simpson-Wentz, and legally, she'll be plain old Ashlee Wentz. The news certainly took us by surprise - for a young, fairly non-traditional couple, adopting her husband's surname is an old-fashioned move for Ashlee.
Yesterday, she told reporters that taking your husband's surname is, "Something that a woman should do when they're marrying a man. It's a tradition that I think is a great tradition."
Similiarly, when Eva Longoria married Spurs star Tony Parker last year, she became Eva Longoria Parker. This isn't the first time Eva's taken her husband's surname, either - when she was married to General Hospital star, Tyler Christopher, she was known as Eva Longoria Christopher. Eva says, "I love the tradition of changing the name."
Here at Cosmo, we're divided on the issue. While some of us feel that marriage is a traditional act and changing one's name is part of that partnership, others believe that the institution is old-fashioned, sexist and symbolises ownership. What do you guys think?