Willow Smith Opens Up About Her Polyamorous Lifestyle On 'Red Table Talk'
Who says "three's a crowd'? Well, according to Willow Smith, it's just right.
During the latest episode of Red Table Talk, a lively discussion takes place about love, sex, marriage, infidelity, and monogamy. Willow reveals her decision to practice ethical polyamory, which is "engaging in multiple romantic (and typically sexual) relationships, with the consent of all the people involved." She feels like this non-traditional way to build intimate and platonic relationships is tailor-made for her.
"With polyamory, I feel the main foundation is the freedom to be able to create a relationship style that works for you and not just stepping into monogamy cause everybody around you says it's the right thing to do. So, I was like, "How can I approach relationships with that in mind," Willow explains. She also believes that she could never see herself as a married woman because of infidelity and the antiquated institution of marriage.
Jada Pinket-Smith is supportive of Willow's lifestyle choice. Responding to when she first heard about Willow's polyamorous lifestyle, Jada replied, "When you told me this was your get down, I was like, "I totally get it." Wanting to set your life up in a way that you can have what it is you want, I think anything goes as long as the intentions are clear."
Gammy, on the other hand, was not feeling this lifestyle choice. She struggled to understand Willow's decision and the appeal of polyamory outside sexual intimacy. "For somebody like me, it feels likes it's just centered around sex," Gammy said.
To bring another perspective about polyamory, the ladies invited Gabrielle Smith and her married boyfriend Alex to come to the "Table" to give insight into how their multiple-partner relationships work.
"It's not about, oh, I want to have all these partners, or I want to do all of these things. It's just like my sexuality. I'm not specifically attracted to men or specifically attracted to women or any other gender. It's just that I'm open to anything," Gabrielle observes.
Polyamorous relationships are on the rise and are becoming more common. In a survey of some 8,700 US single adults in 2017, it was reported that more than one in five engaged in consensual non-monogamy at some point in their lives. While in a 2014 survey, 4%-5% of Americans reported currently being polyamorous, according to NPR.
To find out how polyamorous relationships tune into the latest episode, Red Table Talk, available as of Wednesday, April 28 at 9 am PT / 12 pm ET, streaming on Facebook Watch here.
