Even though I'm not getting married anytime soon, I've given a lot of thought into whether I will be keeping my last name or taking my future husband's (Because what other better things do I have going on in my life, am I right?). In this modern day and age it is still seen as an oddity to not change it, but to me, I think this accepted social tradition is outdated and the reasons for keeping my last name are actually quite simple.
It's my name. And I love it. And no offense to anyone out there reading this, but, I don't see any compelling reason to change it to something completely different.
My last name is a part of my identity and changing it would be parallel to giving up a part of me that I hold very close. My last name holds all my family's history and ancestry, and there's a power behind it that I never want to give up. This part of me deserves to be known and to live on forever, and I've worked hard to build a reputation behind my name that I'm proud of. I hope to further my accomplishments and I want my last name to be a symbol of that. To have my accomplishments given to someone with a last name that is not mine is simply just not something that I want.
Furthermore, just because it's "tradition" does not mean that it is something that I have to adhere to. Some people will cry out "But it's tradition!" when I tell them of my decision, but this argument lacks any further reasoning as to why it's a good decision. Why am I constantly being socially pressured to change my last name simply because I'm a woman and I'm expected to do so? Why for tradition sake is this something that all women feel they must do?
It has always bothered me when families hope for a son, saying that it is the only way that their family legacy can live on. Without a son, families are convinced that their history will die and their last name with it. This is an old fashioned idea, one that we can do better to improve, and I believe that this idea is simply wrong because daughters can do whatever the son is expected to do as well. Contrary to popular belief, daughters can carry on the family name and they can do it strongly and proudly.
And that is something that I intend to do.
My name is not expendable. I was given this name and birth and it will be my name until my death. And for people to think that it is something that I can easily give up and pressure me to do so need to realize that there are bigger reasons as to why I don't want to change my name.
I won't be taking my husband's last name when I get married. And that is something I will never apologize for.
