Red Table Talk has always promoted open and honest conversations. Many people have been fascinated by just how open talks between Jada Pinkett Smith, daughter Willow Smith, and mom Adrienne Banfield Norris have been. It's not every day you see three generations of women have frank but respectful conversations about the issues of the day.
On a recent episode of the Facebook Watch series, Willow Smith opened up about identifying as polyamorous. She had touched on this before, but this was the first time she's declared herself as such.
Willow also talked about some of the misconceptions around polyamory and how she came to consider it as a possibility for herself. It was illuminating to both Jada and Adrienne, who both seemed to have questions and misunderstandings about polyamory.
On the latest episode of Red Table Talk, Willow Smith was ready to talk about her identity as a polyamorous person. For those who don't know, polyamory is the practice of having multiple intimate partners at a time, as opposed to monogamy, where you have only one. Willow expressed why the lifestyle appeals to her and so many others.
"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," the 20-year-old explained.
"So I was like, how can I structure the way that I approach relationships with that in mind? Also, doing research into polyamory, the main reasons why monogamous relationships ― or why marriage ― why divorces happen is infidelity."
Adrienne admitted that all her knowledge of polyamory was centered around the openness of the sexual aspect above all else. Willow refuted what she believes is a common misconception.
"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 reasoned.
"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," she continued.
"In my friend group, I'm the only polyamorous person, and I have the least sex out of all of my friends."
Willow then asked her mom how she felt when she shared her decision with her.
Jada said that she understood why her daughter wanted to structure her personal life this way and that she believes anything goes as long as the parameters are clear to all parties involved. "There's a lot of beauty that sits outside of the conventional boxes," she noted.
This isn't the first time Willow has discussed polyamory as a possibility for herself. In 2019 episode of Red Table Talk, the subject of polyamory vs. monogamy came up, and Willow struggled to see how monogamy could be fulfilling.
"There are so many different kinds of people in this world and so many things to learn."
"There's a difference between a romantic relationship and a sexual relationship," she noted, adding that she'd be more focused on finding an "emotional connection" in polyamory.
When the subject of marriage came up in the more recent conversation, Willow said she could only see herself marrying a partner or partners if it was a step toward a common goal.
"The history of marriage really irks me," she shared.
"Just the history of marriage as a whole and what it has represented over the years, for women in particular."
In the end, Jada assured her that while it's all new to her, she's happy with where Willow is at in her journey related to relationships and sexuality:
"Just like I told you the other day, as long as you are learning to have the greatest love affair with Willow, I'm OK with whatever you do."
