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I Now Pronounce You Mrs. and Mr. Zoe Saldana

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By Alexandra McCray

zoe-saldana--zZoe Saldana recently revealed in an interview that her husband, formerly Marco Perego, decided to take her last name,
making him now Marco Saldana.

When Saldana originally expressed hesitation over the idea to her spouse, it prompted Marco to ask, “What are you so
afraid of?” This led to her internally questioning what was she so afraid of. Saldana’s honesty to the media about her hesitation and eventual embracement of the idea caused her to receive backlash from the public who accused her of not supporting her husband’s unconventional choice.

Saldana quickly squashed those rumors with a Facebook post , saying “Let’s start by letting go of some of the limitations we have inherited from the past, and forge a new path moving forward.”

No one can disagree that women have come leaps and bounds in the 20st and 21st century in terms of equality, even though some may argue there is still a ways to go.  Still, some gender traditions are still strong and steadfast, such as the idea that upon marriage a women should abandon her own family name to adopt her husbands.

Why is this tradition so ingrained into our society?



Today, marriage is a tradition about two individuals in love committing to each other for the rest of their lives, as two families join. Centuries ago, marriage was little more than a financial arrangement to benefit both families. For the husband’s family, it often meant money and hopes of healthy heirs. For the wife’s family, it meant social connections, status stability. Neither foundation is what the modern marriage is build upon.

Why is father’s last name more valuable for children to inherit than a mother’s? Why is a woman expected to let go of something that for her entire life up until that moment been just as defining for her identity as her husbands name has defined him?

As women continue to forge the way for equal rights, it’s important to ask these questions and think about the answers.

Saldana says, “Men, you will not cease to exist by taking your partner’s surname. On the contrary, you’ll be remembered as a man who stood by change. I know our sons will respect and admire their father more because their father led by example.”

A staff report from the online editor of Hers Magazine.

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