Society is always changing. As our technology boomed, so did our abilities, and with that, our desires. Traditional ways of being are now being seen as rigid and restricting, and we yearn for lifestyles that facilitate the freedom we know we deserve. A lot of this has to do with how we perceive love, and relationships. Willow Smith, daughter of Will Smith revealed how she is polyamorous.
What Does Being Polyamorous Mean?
In the traditional sense, based on old-school ideals, when people get into a relationship they stay committed to each other. This is called monogamy. It means that if they were to get into any sexual or romantic activities with someone else, it would be considered cheating or being unfaithful. This can be hurtful to one another, especially if one of the two is more committed than the other.
According to many, a more modern approach to love and relationships is being polyamorous. This means that the couple is open to engaging with other people but they both understand that they share a mutual commitment to each other’s love, but not restricting themselves from exploring at the same time. Some people who are steadfast monogamists might call this cheating, but polyamorists disagree. The act of being unfaithful is actually according to a vow to be faithful, but if their vow is to love each other without restraint, then is it really cheating?
Willow Smith is Polyamorous
Willow Smith is 21 years old and she already has her mind made up. In April 2021 she sat beside her mother, Jada Pinkett-Smith, and her grandmother, Adrienne Banfield-Norrison during one show of Red Table Talk (an American TV show) and opened up about how she sees herself as polymerous. She was very clearly unashamed of her views on love and relationships.
“With polyamory, I feel like the main foundation is the freedom to be able to create a relationship style that works for you and not just stepping into monogamy because that’s what everyone around you says is the right thing to do, “said Willow.
Read: Petition To Stop Interviewing Will and Jada Smith Gets Over 23,000 Signatures
She clearly is someone who craves individualism
Willow believes she knows why there is such a high divorce rate. She said, “Also, doing research into polyamory,” she added, “the main [reason] …why divorces happen is infidelity.”
At one stage during the show, Willow’s grandmother expressed her view on polyamorous relationships. She sees them as being centered around sex. Willow disagreed by sharing a personal example “I mean, I’ll give you an example. Let’s say you haven’t always been the kind of person that wanted to have sex all the time. But your partner is. Are you gonna be the person to say, you know, ‘Just because I don’t have these needs, you can’t have them either?'”
Willow continued, “And so that’s kind of one of the reasons why I actually was interested in poly because I was introduced to it through kind of a nonsexual lens. In my friend group, I’m the only polyamorous person, and I have the least sex out of all of my friends.”