I like pen names as they are way more creative, unique and easier to pronounce. Recently I read a short story collection titled, Bodies from the Library: Lost Tales of Mystery and Suspense from the Golden Age of Detection, and in the author bios, tons of authors used pen names. These authors probably didn't go about telling people their real names but then again, social media hadn't been invented so it was probably easier to keep your name a secret.
I think every person, whether you are a writer or not, deserve to have a name they want or like even if is not legalized. We're in a society where names are sometimes ridiculed which is just rude of people. But I don't think people have to stick to the name they are given. At least, not completely. Also, I side with female authors who altered their names to a more masculine or androgynous name because of how unequal gender is. This is why you get all these authors with initials for first names and yes, I got my pen name from that idea because why not?
Names, whether real or not, is makeup because no one have a name tattooed to their butt when they are born. It's because our names are legalized, we accept them as truth which is true but a person's name is still makeup or else how to explain people being able to change their name (legally or otherwise)?
What do you think of pen names?
[More about the group over at the Insecure Writer’s Support Group blog here]