Choices

It’s great to have a choice – but what exactly does your choice say about you?

I’ve been filling in a great many forms in preparation for my departure for University. As you might expect, one of the first questions asked on the majority of forms is my name. I usually fill in my full name, including my embarrassing middle name. I’m a stickler for tradition like that. But, before I even get to enter my name, I am asked my title.

Now, men don’t often get much choice, it’s ‘Mr.’ all the way. But women have a great choice when it comes to titles. Each form requests either ‘Miss’, ‘Mrs.’, ‘Ms.’, and one even asked me if I was a ‘Lady’ (although, Baroness was not on this particular list).

I’m not married, so that rules out ‘Mrs.’, but what if I was in a Civil Partnership. I have seen no guidance on this, are you a ‘Mrs’ is you are Civil Partnershipped? Perhaps someone can advise?

I think ‘Miss’ makes me sound a bit like an old spinster, so I tend to choose ‘Ms.’ Does this suggest I’m a bra-free feminist? Am I suggesting I’m divorced/independent/man hater/lonely? I am aware that the term ‘Ms’ is quite handy when officially addressing someone whose marital status you don’t know, but I know my own marital status. Which term then, am I expected to use?
Also – if I chose ‘Lady’, would the Queen write to me and complain?