Sheila Michaels, the US feminist who started a campaign in the 1960s to popularise the term “Ms”, has died.
Later becoming the title of Gloria Steinem’s feminist publication, Ms has always been a huge deal. It was originally conceived as a way for women not to be defined by their relationships with men (fathers, husbands, lack of husbands). In those days, as women tended to marry younger, it was also a way to stop women being judged for being “left on the shelf”.
Even today, many women prefer to use the term Ms. Certainly, it seems odd that, while men, with the generic Mr, can keep their status neutral and undisclosed, there is still sometimes antiquated pressure on women to reveal their status.
While feminism is all about information, this was about the right to withhold information. It wasn’t that a woman’s status was some shameful secret; rather, that women didn’t see why anyone should be poking their noses into their private affairs. Basically, Ms was a big, fat feminist “mind your own damn business” and still is. RIP, Ms Michaels, and thank you – you helped change the world.
