On the latest episode of Red Table Talk, Willow—who earlier this week came through with a new Travis Barker-featuring track—discussed her decision to lead a polyamorous life.
In practicing ethical non-monogamy, Willow explained early into the 34-minute roundtable, she was able to craft the sort of relationship that was more suitable for her views.
“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,” Willow, who previously detailed her skepticism of strictly monogamous situations, said. “So I was like, how can I structure the way that I approach relationships with that in mind?”
When researching polyamory, Willow added, she was tuned in to the fact that “the main reason” monogamist relationships end—particularly when it comes to marriage—is infidelity.
Later, Willow gave the example of a person who may not want to have sex as often as a partner, noting that a polyamorous approach might be beneficial for them both.
About three minutes into the episode, Jada reflected on her initial reaction to Willow telling her she was polyamorous.
“When you were like, ‘Hey, this is my get down’, I was like, ‘I totally get it,’” Jada said. “Wanting to set up your life in a way that you can have what it is that you want, I think anything goes as long as the intentions are clear.”
Meanwhile Adrienne Banfield-Norris (a.k.a. Gammy) seemed reluctant to fully accept the polyamory argument but did reveal that she and her husband Rodney had a conversation about ethical non-monogamy.
“We actually talked about polyamory, and was that something that we wanted to explore? We had that conversation,” Gammy said.
Deeper into the discussion, which also included insight from ethical non-monogamy educator Gabrielle Smith and intersectional non-monogamy proponent Michelle Hy, Willow looked back on past experiences in which she let jealousy push her to engage in behavior she no longer supports.
“I did things that I never, that I said I would never do when I was in my fits of jealousy,” she said around 25 minutes into the episode.
Watch Red Table Talk’s full “Is Polyamory for You?” chat on Facebook here. And below, enjoy Willow’s track with Travis Barker, “Transparent Soul.”
