British actress and new mom Kate Winslet will grace the cover of the United Kingdom (UK) version of the fashion magazine, Glamour, for its February 2104 issue. Along with the cover photo comes an interview, and in the interview she expresses dismay at the public uproar that’s followed the announcement of her new baby’s name.
The Oscar-winning actress’s son, Bear Winslet, was born on December 7, 2013. Bear has two older siblings: Mia and Joe.
Bear’s father is Winslet’s third husband, Ned RocknRoll. Their son bears Winslet’s last name, not his father’s. This private family decision has been the catalyst for protests far and wide. One particularly outspoken protest has come from the activist group Fathers4Justice.
Fathers4Justice (F4J) was founded in 2002 with the mission of bringing equality into British family law and removing the cloak of privacy that shields family law court proceedings from public scrutiny. Matt O’Connor founded the group after a bitter separation from his wife in 2000.
At that time, O’Connor described himself as “a lousy husband” who couldn’t control issues with anger, alcohol, and mental health. He’s been described as “aggressive” and prone to make “overblown statements about himself,” even going so far as comparing himself to Nelson Mandela.
O’Connor apparently uses his experience as a marketing consultant to draw attention to F4J causes. They’ve protested family courts around England and scaled the walls of Buckingham Palace dressed as Father Christmas, in superhero costumes, and in the nude. The group feels Winslet’s son should have his father’s last name, not hers.
Winslet herself hasn’t taken on her husband’s last name. The Winslet name is known around the world as she’s built a highly acclaimed career on it. Many celebrities retain their stage names when they marry instead of changing it, as Winslet has chosen to do.
Furthermore, she tells Glamour magazine that all her children have the Winslet name as part of their names and that Bear is “always going to have my name,” too. Each of Winslet’s children were born to different fathers so giving Bear a name that doesn’t include the Winslet family name, like his siblings’ names, “would be weird,” according to Winslet.
Adding fuel to the F4J fire is a Winslet comment recently published elsewhere in which she says, “None of this 50/50 time with the mums and dads. My children live with me; that is it.”
In response to the protest about her youngest son’s name, Winslet says, “People might judge all they like” but she’s a grown-up and will raise her family as she pleases.
Source: “‘Of course we’re not going to call it RocknRoll. I’m a f***ing grown up’: Kate Winslet gets feisty over baby’s surname.” MailOnline. Associated Newspapers Ltd. Jan 2, 2014. Web. Jan 7, 2014.
