Hailey Baldwin, 21 year-old model and member of the famous Baldwin acting dynasty, changed her surname to 'Bieber' on her Instagram account, which is followed by 15.8 million fans, a mere three months since she confirmed her engagement to Canadian singer Justin Bieber.
This Gen-Z marriage announcement certainly got the world talking - not only was this finally confirmation of 24 year-old Bieber's long road to fidelity and commitment, but a reemergence of the long tussled over, heteronormative debate - should women take their male partner's name post marriage?
As a tradition of the patriarchal west more and more of us are wondering why we should forgo our names for our husband's.
'The marital surname tradition is more than just a tradition,' explained Rachael Robnett, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
'It reflects subtle gender-role norms and ideologies that often remain unquestioned despite privileging men.'
So, what are the alternatives?
Combining surnames in heterosexual couples appears to be a popular choice for many - the Knowles-Carters and Perego-Saldanas being a prime example.
Some women, like Dawn O'Porter, take it upon themselves to incorporate their parter's name (her husband being Chris O'Dowd) into their own, creating a new moniker reflecting their marital status.
Though rare, some men in heteronormative marriages take their wive's names, in an attempt to further gender equality, or perhaps simply because they prefer the name.
And of course, both partners can keep their names exactly as they are.
However, as Baldwin/Bieber-gate shows, there are clearly reasons why women may take their male partner's surname.
One reason could be not wanting to 'emasculate' the male partner, or rock the societal boat. A recent study by Robnett, from the University of Nevada, revealed that, 'When a woman chooses not to take her husband's surname after marriage, people perceive her husband as being higher in traits related to femininity and lower in traits related to masculinity. He is also perceived as having less power in the relationship.'
Another could be wanting a 'family name' to include future children, another could be religion, and another that they merely like the name more than their own (we have no idea what Hailey's relationship is with the Baldwin name afterall).
Secure in the knowledge that this debate is far from over, we went to the ELLE UK team to find out where they stood on the sometimes divisive issue.
Christina Simone, Workflow Director
I kept my maiden name when I got married. My husband did recently asked me, though, if I would change my name when we have children. I dont understand why or how changing my name to match his would make us feel more like a family but will consider this if it is very important to him.
Natasha Bird, Digital Editor
I've had a pretty strong opinion on this since I was probably about 12-years-old. I fiercely object to all of the older tenets of traditional marriage that pertain to the idea of the woman being an item of property to be gifted into new ownership by one man (the father), to another (the husband).
I was 30 years old when I married my husband - a grown woman, with a career, an identity and an income. I wasn't anyone's to be inherited, I didn't need to be supported financially or looked after physically. I didn't ask my father to walk me down the aisle to give me away, because I wasn't his to give and I didn't take my husband's name because I was not now his to own either.
George Driver, Digital Beauty Editor
I'm pretty sure I'd like to get married (although the term 'wife' is still a bit gaaaaah at the moment) and if I did, I'd definitely keep my last name. It's part of my job and feels very 'me' so changing it would, as silly as it sounds, feel like I was losing a little something something of myself.
Also, it's my stepdad's surname and I love that it feels like we're all included in the same family. Which is probably pretty hypocritical if I have children in the future...
My boyfriend doesn't seem worried about it and I respect that he loves his family name as well. We could go double barrelled, but Driver-Groves is just too many Vs in one surname.
To me, we're still the same two people before and after getting married and our names reflect that.
Amy Brewster, Social Media Manager
My boyfriend and I have no plans to marry and I think a civil partnership is the closest we would get. I’m not attached to my surname, I’ve never really liked it, but I still wouldn’t take his surname - mainly because I don’t like his either.
For me, whilst I don’t like my surname, I wouldn’t just take someone else’s simply because it’s the done thing, it would have to be a name that I love and want to have as my own as opposed to it just being expected of me.
Alice-Azania Jarvis, Acting Deputy Editor
I’ve never been particularly interested in getting married - my partner and I have been together for almost eleven years, and even share a mortgage, but we have never ‘put a ring on it’. This isn’t to say we won’t – but if we do, I certainly won’t change my name. It has been part of my identity, personally and professionally, for more than 30 years - and the feminist in me questions why it’s conventionally the woman whose surname is replaced. Of course, there’s always the option of combining the two to form a double-barrelled name – but given that I already have a hyphenated first name (and a pretty unusual one at that), I’m not sure I could get away with it….
Charlotte Bitmead, Beauty Assistant
I’ve never really seen the appeal of getting married, other than the open bar at the wedding, but I’ve always concluded I would keep my last name. Not only are me and my sister the last ‘family heirs’ to carry on the name but since the age of 12 my friends, and even teachers, have always called me Bitmead as a nickname. It’s become part of my identity and would never want to give that up. Plus changing all my monogrammed accessories would take a lot of effort.
Clare Pennington, Picture Editor
I certainly wouldn’t say that I love my name, but I’m definitely very attached to it. It’s my nickname ‘Penners’ – and my connection to my big sister, my best friend in the world – who got married this year and bought us both necklaces with big fat Ps emblazoned on them. ‘I might be married now,’ she said, ‘but we will always be Penningtons.’ It might be to do with my mum – who changed her name for each of her three husbands – and once in-between the 2rd and 3rd. Each time felt incredibly romantic yet hopelessly impractical. I want to die with the same name I was born with – I can’t be dealing with all the admin.
Becky Burgum, Features Assistant
If I’m honest, Burgum wasn’t the nicest name to grow up with (sorry Dad). It hardly rolls off the tongue. So, I think, for the sole purpose of making my life a little easier (but only if my future-husband’s name has a nicer ring to it) then I could be tempted to change it in non-professional environments.
It would be quite nice for the family to be called a collective name, although, it does feel a strange thought, subservient almost, as if my individual identity would be lost and I become an extension of him, his ‘plus one’.
