female name

If J.K. Rowling or E.L. James used their full first names instead of initials, would you have read Harry Potter or Fifty Shades of Grey? Alright, I have not read Fifty Shades of Grey.

The reason is simple. I don't read romantic fictions, and I heard that is a book about a romantic story with many sexual contents. My information may be wrong, but my point is the name of the author, or more specifically, the first name of the author does not determine my interest in a reading.

I heard the rumor that these two authors decided to use their initials instead of full first names because their first names are names for females.

As a woman, I am angry about this rumor. You should be proud of your sex and proud of your name! Who says female authors can't produce best sellers?

As a person, I am sad about this rumor. I indeed live in a society dominated by men or male-oriented values. The Taiwanese media still use wordings belittling female artists or discussing whether they are "able" to give male babies. The American media still highlight "news" of female celebrities' dresses and hairdos, rather than focus on their accomplishments.

As I am angry and sad, a person -- who is supposed to stand firmly on her position as well as defend her name --insists that she is going to use her first and middle initials from now on, and get rid of her full first name. Seriously? This decision does not earn my respect. We are not writing fictions. We are writing scientific theses. If our manuscript is rejected by reviewers, it is not because of your first name! If our paper is not read or cited often, it is not because of your first name!

I acknowledge that most people (men and women) still question whether women are capable to bring more income to a child-raising family than men. However, in the field of scientific research, I do not think most scientists (men and women) question whether females are capable to conduct a better study than males, or whether females are better thinkers than men. When a piece of work is great, it is a great piece of work. Has anyone despise a paper authored by Anne Treisman, Brenda Milner, Nancy Kanwisher, Martha Farah, or Cathleen Moore because of their first names? The name simply is not an issue.

Don't blame on your own name. Hiding it does not make your work more acceptable or accessible. Unless you are writing a fiction.