Vice President Kamala Harris has become the de facto Democratic nominee for this year's presidential election, sparking an online debate about the appropriate way to address a candidate.
Shortly after President Joe Biden endorsed Harris after she dropped out of the race, many took to X, Reddit, and Quora to debate whether it was appropriate to call her by her first or last name.
“I'm sick of people calling her Kamala,” one Reddit user wrote. “Male candidates are almost always referred to by their first name unless they're being insulting or mocking.”
“It is understandable, given history, that some people would object to calling Kamala Harris 'Kamala' rather than 'Vice President Harris' or 'Harris.'” Posted by X user @slippish“But if I were a presidential candidate, I'd be happy if people used my name. It means you have high name recognition.”
TikTok user Miriam Lindner also weighed in on the discussion, explaining why people tend to use first names for women and last names for men.
Since she first posted it on July 22, the post has been viewed 1.6 million times and generated thousands of comments.
“When we talk about famous people, do we talk about Darwin and Marie Curie? Do we talk about Dickens and Emily Dickinson? Do we talk about Shakespeare and Jane Austen? Yes, a lot of people do,” explains Lindner, who has a PhD in political psychology.
“People are on average twice as likely to refer to male experts (even fictional characters) by their last names compared to comparable female experts,” Lindner summarized.
TODAY.com spoke with two experts to explain why we use first names for women and last names for men, and why political strategy and gender bias play a role in how we refer to candidates.
The psychology of how gender determines how experts speak
Stav Atil, who earned his doctorate in social psychology from Cornell University, contributed to the research paper “How Gender Determines How We Talk About Experts.”
In an interview with TODAY.com, Atil acknowledged that a collaborative research project has found that people are more likely to call women by their first names than men.
“We know that first names are associated with familiarity,” she explained, noting that a first name indicates someone who is “more approachable and accessible,” while a surname indicates someone who is “a little more distant.”
“Each has its pros and cons,” she explains, “but they all tend to fit gender stereotypes, with women being perceived as more approachable, more accessible, and of lower status, and men generally being perceived as more competent and less accessible.”
Conversely, she points out that using a surname with or without a title, such as “Senator Harris” or “Trump,” can emphasize hierarchy and respect while also creating distance.
Using first names is also part of the election strategy
Ashley Etienne is an American political adviser who worked on Biden's 2020 presidential campaign and then served as communications director for Harris during her first year as vice president.
In an interview with TODAY.com, she said Democrats are more likely to use it as an election strategy than Republicans, regardless of gender.
“Democrats typically refer to themselves by their first names, like Hillary, Joe or Kamala,” she explained, adding that first names are more common on formal promotional materials like T-shirts, tote bags, signs and posters. “All of this is a way to make the candidates more approachable, especially to women.”
Atir emphasizes that the intention behind campaigns, public relations efforts, speeches and other organizational efforts plays a major role in some people's choice of first and last names.
“The same kind of reference can have very different meanings for supporters and detractors,” she explains.
“The name 'Kamala' is tied to her identity as a woman and a person of color. When her critics use it, it's potentially a way to spotlight her in a way that they see as negative. But when her supporters, or her campaign, use it, it can also be a way to highlight her identity, but in a way that celebrates it in a positive way.”
Campaigning with the White House
Etienne explains that the first-name approach will change once a candidate takes office.
“I think in informal settings it doesn't really matter about gender, but in formal settings you have to be very persistent and intentional about addressing women appropriately,” she explains. “At first you can just call them 'Kamala' casually, but when it comes to formal settings, a lot of times people will address women by their first names, which they almost never do with men.”
She contrasts this with the work she did for former President Barack Obama.
“On the campaign trail, it was 'Barack,'” she recalled. “Once he got into the White House, they called him 'The President.' I worked for the vice president. On the campaign trail, they called her 'Kamala.' Once we got into an official position, a lot of people still called her 'Kamala,' so we had to straighten that out.”
So, what can I say?
In her post, Lindner noted that calling Harris by her first name is crucial to avoiding sexism in the election, regardless of who she supports in the 2024 presidential election. She emphasized that calling someone by their first name informally can undermine a woman's competency and importance.
Etienne, Lindner and Atille all agreed that as a presidential candidate, Harris should be referred to by her title and surname as a sign of respect.
“In formal settings, it is important to address women by their formal titles to reinforce their authority and earn respect,” Etienne explains.
