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No more kinky addressing, please

I'm not what you'd call an outspoken feminist, but one thing that does get up my nose is the old fashioned style of addressing an envelope to a woman with her husband's name, but with 'Mrs' in front. So 'Fiona Smith' becomes 'Mrs Robert Smith'.

I've two objections to this. One is that I can't help but imagine Robert Smith in twinset and pearls, very Monty Python, but not at all as intended by the writer.

Second, it really does smack of ownership, in a very unpleasant way.

Please stop it. Now.
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  1. Crowe4 January 2010 at 13:45

    Aargh! This reminds me of something that happened to a married friend of mine a few years ago. They needed a kitchen refit, looked through the various catalogues, made their choice and my friend went to the showroom to ask a few questions and place their order. Only she went without her husband and the salesman refused point blank to take the order without her husband's "authorisation". Needless to say, she sent a strongly worded complaint to a head honcho, received a grovelling apology, and took her business elsewhere.

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  2. Brian Clegg5 January 2010 at 09:11

    The funny thing is I've heard more vocal support for the 'Mrs Robert Smith' approach from women than from men. But I suspect it's one of those things that will have died out within a generation.

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