Feminist Misogynist -v- 'Mrs Someone Famous'

I know it very occasionally happens, usually when the wife is more famous than the husband, but when did you last hear a man referred to as 'Mr Wife's Name'? eg. Tony Blair as 'Mr Cherie Booth QC' or Paul McCartney as 'Mr Nancy Shevell' or Adrian Edmondson as 'Mr Jennifer Saunders'?


Pretty much never.


So why do the Daily Mail find it necessary, in their coverage of Angelina Jolie receiving a honorary Damehood from HM The Queen for her work on rape in war zones, to inform us that she's also known as 'Mrs Brad Pitt'?


When I was at junior school in the 1970s, we were taught how to properly address a letter. We were told that officially, if writing to a married woman you would properly address her as 'Mrs Brad Pitt'. However, in these enlightened times you would address her as Mrs Angelina Pitt - once you had ascertained that she had not in fact retained her maiden name, which some very liberated ladies chose to do in those days of Jaime Summers the Bionic Woman, the Wimbledon Ladies Champion being an actual real-life lesbian and Germaine Greer talking about orgasms in public.


I don't recall Angelina Jolie having made it known since her marriage to Mr Pitt that she wanted to be known by his name from now on, what with her being a very traditional kinda girl with Victorian values and all that. I can't imagine that she is happy to be defined by who she chose to marry - not this time or the two previous times. I'm fairly sure I've never heard her referred to as 'Mrs Jonny Lee Miller' or 'Mrs Billy Bob Thornton'.


She is who she is. She is very much her own person. She is not defined by who her husband is, regardless of how famous, successful, talented or gorgeous he is.


So why, Daily Mail, in the 21st Century, are you demeaning this strong, independent, caring, intelligent woman who is being rewarded not for being an actress but for her work in the world's war zones with the most vulnerable of people? Can't you just admire her for the brilliant work she's doing?


They also made a little joke about the Queen of Britain meeting the Queen of Hollywood. Oh please!


But if you must insist on this Neanderthal form of address, dear Daily Mail, at least be consistent and use the headline 'Mrs Brad Pitt meets Mrs Duke of Edinburgh'. Let's see what HM thinks of that one.