Polyamorous (polygamy and polyandry) relationships aren't anything new, but they aren't always accepted by Westernized cultures. Yet, there is still a small percentage of people who choose to engage in romantic relationships with multiple partners. Jada Pinkett Smith, her daughter Willow Smith, and her mother Adrienne Banfield-Norris explored this topic on the most recent episode of Red Table Talk as they spoke with a married couple and their girlfriend—a relationship known as a "throuple."
During their discussion, Willow revealed that she's been exploring the aspects of a poly relationship. "Monogamy, I feel, and this is just for me, I feel actually inhibits you from learning those skills of evolving past those feelings of insecurity," she said. "That feeling of 'Oh, no, you can't do this...if you were to do this, the world would crumble on both sides.' There's just no freedom, it's all fear based."
Willow said she believes traditional marriage concepts are slightly oppressive to women and "steeped in this idea of ownership." She continued, "This is the thing, there's so many different kinds of people in this world and so many things to learn, so many people to learn from and I don't see the benefit in not learning those things or not putting myself in a position to learn as much as I possibly can from as many people as I possibly can."
There are people who enter into polyamorous relationships solely because they're attracted to the idea of being able to have sex with more than one person. Willow claims that's not her intention at all and she's open to a multiple-partnered relationship if "your intention is to create more love, more understanding, more community, more compassion in your life."
She later added, "I love men and women equally. I would definitely want one man, one woman. I feel like I could be polyfidelitous with those two people. I'm not the kind of person who is constantly looking for new sexual experiences. I focus a lot on the emotional connection and I feel like if I were to find two people of the different genders I really connected with and we had a romantic and sexual connection, I don't feel like I would have the need to find more." Willow added, ""I really couldn't see myself in a quadruple, but personally, male and female, that's all I need. One of each."
Jada didn't seem to have a problem with Willow's choices and told her she supported her. The actress also noted that she feels as if she's been in a non-sexual, three-person relationship with her husband Will Smith and Will's ex-wife (and mother of Will's son Trey), Sheree Fletcher.