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Partners
- Marriage isn't all sunshine and roses, even though society holds it in high regard.
- Here are 5 truths about unconventional dynamics in relationships.
- Jada Pinkett and Will Smith's 'open marriage' is an example of how complicated marriage can be.
- For more lifestyle news, go to the News24 Life front page.
Societal perception paints marriage as this perfect union where love always conquers. But the truth is that it is not all roses and sunshine.
For over 20 years, Hollywood couple Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith have had the reputation of being the 'it' couple. Still, truths about their marriage and what has been going on are enough to dampen hopes about the lovey-dovey, dreamy and overly enthusiastic ideas about marriage.
In 2020, Jada publicly confessed to an 'entanglement' with singer August Alsina. This was after people started speculating that she was in an open marriage. In her newly released book titled Worthy, she made a jaw-dropping confession that she and her husband had separated since 2016 and did not want to divorce.
READ MORE | When healthy relationships become sexless - Experts share tips on how to rekindle the fire
Here are 5 truths about what goes on in marriages:
1. Open marriage: This happens when couples agree to sleep with people outside of the marriage. In the case of Jada and Will, they were together and allowed each other to be with other people.
2. Threesomes: In some marriages, inviting the third person into the marriage is 'normal'. The reasons for this would vary from couple to couple. However, it might be a sexual itch and fantasy to bring back the spark in the relationship. In her 2019 memoir Inside Out, actor Demi Moore claimed that bringing multiple sexual partners into her marriage with Ashton Kutcher was one reason for their divorce.
3. Same house, different beds: Some couples might live in the same house but are not married to each other. They become roommates rather than husband and wife. Reasons for this may be financial, in that either of the two can't afford to move out or are concerned about raising children together in the same house.
4. Together but living apart: In 2022, musician Grimes real name Claire Boucher opened up about her unconventional living arrangement with Elon Musk. In an interview with Vanity Fair, she revealed that she and the billionaire entrepreneur "live in separate houses" and have a very "fluid" relationship. Although the two were not married, they had children together. Some people in committed relationships and marriages believe that living apart helps their marriage stay alive.
Grimes said:
READ MORE | More couples will opt for living separately in a few years, says relationship expert
5. No sexual intimacy: Some married couples live in the same house but don't have sex with each other. The relationship is simply sexless. In an article about sexless marriage, Sexologist Dr Nikki Goldstein says that for most couples, problems begin beyond the bedroom. "You have to reconnect emotionally before you can connect physically and feel supported emotionally in order to want sex." The possibility might be that they have fallen out of love or aren't sexually stimulated by each other, or simply that the one partner is not interested in having sex.
Sources: Vanity Fair, US Weekly
