I'll go ahead and ask, because it bothers me. Why is "telling everyone about it" bad?
It's bizarre to me that so many think simply using a title that one worked for and legitimately earned is bad etiquette (not to mention the catty PhDs-aren't-that-smart-anyway sniping later in the thread. Really? On an etiquette board?). I've seen this attitude come out just about any time PhDs, among other things, are mentioned. The consensus seems to be that we're* not allowed to even mention our accomplishments because that's "bragging" and people who haven't done the same might feel baaaad about themselves, and I don't understand the thought process behind that.
*Technically, it's not "we", yet, but I'm working on it.
A professor who wants to be called, "Dr. Martin" by their students? No problem. Mentioning your degree when it's relevent? No problem. Demanding that everyone you meet, including the cashier at the gas station, call you Doctor? Rude, whether you're an MD or a PhD.
Why, though? That's what I don't get. How is Dr any different from Mrs or Mr? Why is it fine to introduce myself as Ms. Grancalla, but introducing myself as Dr. Grancalla makes me rude/demanding/SS? It makes no sense to me.
Also, who gets to decide when it's "relevant"? By the time I'm done with my degree, I will have spent a rather sizable chunk of my life on it. That makes it a very relevant part of my identity, as far as I'm concerned, and not just in a professional context. If we go by the same logic, calling yourself Mrs. Smith is only polite in situations relevant to marriage
(People will probably say they only meant people who pull the how-dare-you-not-call-me-Dr-even-though-there's-no-way-you-would-have-known-about-it BS, but if you look at previous threads, you'll see it's not limited to that. Even something as simple as: "Is it Ms or Mrs. Smith?" "It's Dr. Smith, actually" gets people called SS.)