DEAR MISS MANNERS: Why do we still use Miss, Mrs. and Ms.? What’s the point, really?
Who cares if someone is married or not? I don’t want to give an extra thought to whether they’re married or single when I’m writing or speaking their name. Why can’t we pivot to a universal title like men have? No one cares if they are married/single/widowed, etc.
GENTLE READER: Guess what? Miss/Mrs./Ms. Manners (who keeps ‘em guessing) is happy to tell you that we do have a female courtesy title that is unrelated to marital status: Ms.
Do not believe anyone who deprecates it as a 20th-century invention. It dates back at least to the 17th century, when it did just what you are requesting. Why do people keep resisting it?
(Please send your questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners.com; to her email, dearmissmanners@gmail.com; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)
