TresSugar

Dear Poll: Will you Change your Name?

DearSugar — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 14:45:00 -0700

Before women had such a strong presence in the work place, they almost always changed their names after getting married. Throughout the years, times have changed and women have worked incredibly hard to gain notoriety, both personally and professionally, leaving some reluctant to give up their recognizable last name.

So all you women out there who are engaged and or newly married, are you planning on taking on your husband's last name? Are you looking forward to being Mrs. XYZ?

Source

Where Do You Stand? Changing Your Name When You Get Married

DearSugar — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 07:00:00 -0700

I have a close friend who's getting married and she has an amazing last name. It's so awesome, in fact, that everyone refers to her by it. Her dilemma then is, should she change her last name and take on her husband's after saying I do? It's a tough decision for any woman: giving up your identity to take on your man's is not a decision that should be taken lightly. Some women may find comfort in the idea of becoming a family and both having the same last name whereas others prefer to hold on to her own family roots; and then there are those who stay safe somewhere in the middle. It's totally a personal preference, so where do you stand on this issue? After getting married, will you take on your partner's last name?

Source

Love It or Leave It? Disney-Inspired Engagement Rings

TresSugar — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:00:00 -0700

Some girls never let go of their wish to be princesses, and thanks to designer Kristie Kelly, they don't have to. The Kirstie Kelly for Disney by Mouwad collection, shown at Bridal Week in New York, features six engagement rings and wedding bands that pay homage to Disney's leading princesses.

The engagement rings, named after Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Cinderella, Jasmine, Ariel, and Belle are supposed to be "subtle references to the personalities of each princess." For example, the baguettes and clean lines of the Ariel ring are supposed to reference the bold style of art deco and Ariel's "bold individuality."

Although I was never a fan of princesses, have no plans of getting married anytime soon, and would feel sheepish taking a leap into adulthood wearing a Disney-inspired engagement ring, I do fancy the look of the Sleeping Beauty ring. What do you feel about this collection?

Say What? Director Mira Nair on Amelia Earhart

TresSugar — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 06:00:00 -0700

"[S]o much about Amelia is so undeniably modern. If she were to walk into a room today in her jodhpurs and her aviation jackets, [with] her ideas about marriage or men and women, she would still be considered an iconoclast."

- Director Mira Nair on the subject of her upcoming biopic Amelia starring Hilary Swank, about the pioneering aviator's life. Nair, who directed Salaam, Bombay!, Monsoon Wedding, and the recent I Love You, New York was taken with Amelia's plainspoken directness when she studied archival footage of her. Earhart was the first aviatrix (I love that word!) to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She insisted on keeping her name when she married and called marriage a "partnership" with "dual control."

Do, Dump, or Marry? Nacho Figueras

TresSugar — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 13:00:00 -0700

If Nacho Figueras were not a real person, Harlequin romance writers would have to invent him. Tall, dark, and handsome? Check. International man of mystery, aka a freaking professional polo player from Argentina? Check. A man whose first name evokes one of my favorite snacks? Check.

Yesterday, I told you about a poll asking 15,000 women which country had the best male lovers? Fuzzles reminded us that the poll must be flawed, because Argentina and the beautiful Nacho were nowhere to be found. What do you think about this gorgeous model for Ralph Lauren Polo? (If you want to suggest someone we haven't included yet, join our Do, Dump, or Marry? group and suggest a hottie!)

Mother-in-Law Can't Take a Joke, Sues Comedian

TresSugar — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 15:30:00 -0700

Well, a comedian who just happens to be her daughter-in-law!

It sounds like the beginning of a bad joke, but comedian Sunda Croonquist’s mother-in-law Ruth Zafrin was not kidding when she filed a lawsuit against Sunda for telling so many jokes about her. Croonquist capitalizes on their ethnic differences in her envelope-pushing jokes - she is half-black and half-Swedish, was raised Catholic, and married into a Jewish family.

A typical joke goes something like this. On a first visit to her mother-in-law Ruthie’s house, Croonquist says, "I walk in, I say, 'Thank you so much for having me here, Ruthie.' 'The pleasure’s all mine,' she replies, 'have a seat.' Then she whispers, 'Harriet, put my pocketbook away.'"

Zafrin filed the lawsuit (along with her daughter and her daughter's husband), when material on Croonquist's website made it easy for people to figure out the in-laws' identities. Croonquist is accused of "spreading false, defamatory and racist lies" in comedy club routines that have even been aired on Comedy Central. Croonquist agreed to remove any offensive comments on her website but refused to pay a settlement. (Her husband's law firm is handling her case. Awkward!)

Zafrin isn't exactly giving mother-in-laws a good name. It seems that there would've been a less alienating way of handling this, like, say, asking Croonquist to cut it out! Who do you think is in the wrong?

70% of Americans Think a Bride Should Take Husband's Name

TresSugar — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 07:00:00 -0700

Worrying that "the mailman would get confused" or that "society wouldn’t function as well if women did not change their names," 70 percent of Americans say that new brides should take their husband's last name. Even more shocking, the study presented yesterday at the American Sociological Association’s annual meeting found that 50 percent of respondents thought it should be made a legal requirement for women to change their names to their husbands'!

The reasons given ranged from religious beliefs to social convenience - some people actually suggested that the post office might be confused if there were people living at the same address with two different names. Really? What about everyone living with roommates?! Some respondents also seemed to have forgotten the inconveniences a woman must face if she wants to change her name after she gets married. I guess those inconveniences don't count.

It seems obvious to me that the law should never mandate that a married woman ditch her maiden name. Then again, perhaps there's nothing very liberating about keeping your "own" last name anyway, since the name belonged to a man in the first place. Let's all just make up new names and see how the post office handles that.

Cam Gigandet vs. Twilight-Obsessed Tweens

TresSugar — Tue, 26 May 2009 07:00:00 -0700

Most of you found Twilight's bad vampire James (Cam Gigandet) hot enough to do and marry. For the Edward Cullen-loving tween fan-pire set, however, he can suck it. Watch what happens when Cam has the misfortune of stumbling upon a Twilight reading group full of reverential worshipers. It gets pretty ugly. (If nothing else, maybe like me, you'll finally learn how to pronounce his name.)

Awkward! Wedding Planning With Fiancé Causing Tension

TresSugar — Fri, 01 May 2009 07:00:00 -0700

I know a very modern bride who is beginning to wonder if she really knows the guy she's marrying. It's not that she's having second thoughts - it's just that planning their wedding is highlighting differences of opinion about tradition and convention she didn't know were there.

For example, this bride is hip to the fact that weddings are not unique events. Lots of people get married. At the same time, she wants her wedding to have a personal, nonconformist touch. This is where the conflict with her more traditional fiancé has come in. He values conformity and sees it as a social good. Unlike his fiancée, he actually cares what other people think.

So what are the differences of opinion they have about how they should plan their wedding? To find out read more.

First off, she doesn't want name cards at the table. He thinks they're classy; she thinks they're an unnecessary cost and a waste of paper.

Secondly, both have agreed to cupcakes instead of wedding cake (OK, so traditional guy is a little nonconformist), but he wants vanilla (because "it's supposed to be that way") and she likes chocolate because . . . it's more delicious.

Last but not least - the guest list. The bride wants to give their moms a guest limit so that they don't invite too many people and overrun the wedding with people they don't know. He doesn't want to tell his mom that there's a limit and, in addition, he thinks having a lot of diverse people will make them look good to other people.

Should weddings conform to traditional wedding etiquette at the expense of personal touches, practicality - or the bride's wishes? How should this bride and groom get over their differences and celebrate their union? And finally, have you ever experienced something similar?

Source

Grab Bag! Marriage Means the End of Single-Girl Friendships?

TresSugar — Tue, 12 May 2009 12:00:00 -0700

As you or your pals get married, do you mourn the death of single-girl friendships? - The Frisky
A former Craigslist call girl shares her story. - Lemondrop
Valentine's Day, an upcoming film similar to He's Just Not That Into You, has many big names attached. - BuzzSugar
Aretha Franklin's iconic inauguration hat will be replicated and sold as Christmas ornaments this year. - Jezebel
There's a growing trend to make suburbs car free. - Good
You can find anything on the eBay, including coats for guinea pigs. -Urlesque
Huh? German bank ad features Abraham Lincoln and Queen Elizabeth doing it. - Indecision Forever