Emma Watson is 29 years old and happily single, or, as she recently put it in an interview for UK Vogue’s December issue, “self-partnered.” Our forever Hermione Granger and upcoming Little Womenstar was talking about the pressure she has felt as she approaches the big 3-0 in terms of getting married and starting a family, and said that it took her “a long time” to overcome this anxiety, but that she is now very happily “self-partnered.”
From Vogue:
“I never believed the whole ‘I’m happy single’ spiel,” she continues. “I was like, ‘This is totally spiel.’ It took me a long time, but I’m very happy [being single]. I call it being self-partnered.”
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The word “self-partnered” is definitely new, and there will certainly be many people out there who find it silly when she could’ve easily said she was happy being single, but it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Watson preferred to coin a new term. For starters, celebrities are known for coming up with unconventional ways to describe their love lives (who can forget Gwyneth Paltrow and Steve Martin’s infamous “conscious uncoupling”?), and secondly, as a feminist, it makes complete sense that Watson would choose to make a statement about her single status as a young woman.
For much of her life as a public figure, Watson has made headlines for her feminist views and activism, speaking on everything from the gender wage gap to the importance of female pleasure. On top of that, as an A-list celebrity, every aspect of her personal life, including who she is or isn’t dating, is scrutinized. She is expected to be in a serious relationship and on her way to motherhood, but by saying she is happily “self-partnered,” she is not only challenging those expectations, but also presenting us -celebrity gossip fans, young women, society, and anyone who cares- with an alternative: that she, as a young woman, can be happy alone, enjoying a fully committed and enriching relationship with herself.
Sure, many people won’t see beyond the newness of the word Watson has invented, but for others who are a little more open-minded, “self-partnered” will make all the sense in the world. The term brings to mind tranquility, self-esteem, and maturity, and if that is what Watson is experiencing at this stage of her life, then we couldn’t be happier for her and wish a little bit of that for ourselves.
Images from @emmawatson
