<P> In 1969, in a lull during a WBAI - radio interview with The Feminists group, Michaels suggested the use of Ms. A friend of Gloria Steinem heard the interview and suggested it as a title for her new magazine . Ms. debuted on newsstands in January 1972, and its much - publicized name quickly led to widespread usage . In February 1972, the US Government Printing Office approved using "Ms ." in official government documents . In 1976 Marvel Comics introduced a new superhero named "Ms. Marvel", billing her as the "first feminist superhero". </P> <P> Even several public opponents of "non-sexist language", such as William Safire, were finally convinced that Ms. had earned a place in English by the case of US Congresswoman Geraldine A. Ferraro . Ferraro, a United States vice-presidential candidate in 1984, was a married woman who used her birth surname professionally rather than her husband's ("Zaccaro"). Safire pointed out that it would be equally incorrect to call her "Miss Ferraro" (as she was married) or "Mrs. Ferraro" (as her husband was not "Mr. Ferraro")--and that calling her "Mrs. Zaccaro" would confuse the reader . </P> <P> Suggestions about how Ms. should be used, or whether it should be used at all, are varied . </P> <P> The Daily Telegraph states in its style guide that Ms should only be used if a subject requests it herself and it "should not be used merely because we do not know whether the woman is Mrs or Miss". On the other hand, The Guardian, which restricts its use of honorific titles to leading articles, states in its style guide: "use Ms for women...unless they have expressed a preference for Miss or Mrs". The Economist states that it generally uses the title a person adopts but warns that Ms. is an "ugly" title . A BBC Academy style guide states, "In choosing between Miss, Mrs and Ms, try to find out what the person herself uses, and stick to that ." The New York Times embraces the use of all three: Mrs., Miss, and Ms., and will follow the individual's preferences . </P>

When do you use ms instead of miss