I was watching TV last night and this advert came on about
skincare or weight loss or something or other and some plastic looking ‘Doctor’
– and we are meant to believe that because she was wearing a white coat and
that apparently makes her credible – came on the screen and gave the sales
pitch about whatever she was selling working wonders and to listen to the
testimonial of some of our ‘happy customers’. I was interested that each woman
who appeared on screen had ‘Mrs’ before her name. Mrs Jane Smith…Mrs Mary Brown…Mrs
Susan Jones...etc. Why the need for the title? Is the product any more
impressive because the woman is married? I cannot, in any way, see how a title
is relevant and, if I was interested in it, the use of the title thing makes me not want
it.
If you’re married you don’t notice it, but single women are
hard to categorize I’m single. I know it only too well there’s always that hesitation
as to what to call you. Generally people will go you ‘Mrs’ if you are over a
certain age because it’s considered the safer option. Why do I have to be a ‘Mrs’?
I’m not nor do I want to be one and I find it oppressive that I have to be
categorized. You want to be polite? Call me by my first name. Interestingly as
long as ‘Ms’ had been around and covers the whole Mrs/Miss thing, people just can’t
get the hang of it. But, to me, more
importantly, why the need for a title at all?
Weirdly enough, all
of this fits into a series of four stories I am writing about gender equality
and the lack there of it.
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