This article is so stupid, I just need to address it for a moment. The assertion in this article that less women (especially younger women) are keeping their names is based on data from an organization that just looks at marriage announcements. 

Speaking as a young woman, I don’t know a single person who still did a marriage announcements. Who the hell even reads a newspaper anymore?

So, to really spell this out, all these news outlets reporting an increase in the percentage of women changing their names are really just reporting that a majority of people who take out wedding announcements change their name.

Gee, people who like old fashioned things like wedding announcements in the newspaper are old fashioned with names? What a mind blower, guys, good thing we wasted our time doing a study about that. 

They adorably throw in a reference to Facebook too like it wasn’t already found a hundred times over that Facebook data on marriage is useless since kids change their names and marriage status all the time to joke marry their friends. 

So based on their amazing findings that Old Fashioned People are Old Fashioned and People on Facebook Goof Around With Their Names A Bunch, it’s safe to go ahead and tell women who don’t want to change their names when they get married that they aren’t “trendy.”

Because, you know, when I make a major decision about my identity, my first concern is always to be on the cutting edge of trends…

And even if these findings were based in reality and not stupidity, whoever decided to call a major social shift and a highly personal decision a “Retro Marriage Trend” like it’s the equivalent of wearing a paisley tie needs to be punched in the face.