Most people get married with the idea that their spouse will be their sole sex partner 'til death do they part. And whether they find it comforting or suffocating, monogamy is the norm in our culture.
An open marriage introduces the idea that a couple can agree that sex, relationships, or something else with other people is acceptable. Of course, every situation looks different for every couple, though. The idea may be difficult for a lot of people to support, but it's becoming a more widely accepted practice.
OpenMinded.com launched in 2015, dedicated to connecting people who are seeking open or alternative relationships. Some advocates even believe that honesty about the desire to have an open marriage is more important than being faithful to their partner.
A March 2017 study published in the Sage Journals comparing couples engaging in consensual non-monogamy with those in monogamous relationships concluded that while satisfaction, commitment, and romantic love were relatively the same among both groups, levels of jealousy were measurably lower in consensual non-monogamous relationships.
You may think the practice of open marriage is commonplace in Hollywood. But the truth is only a handful of celebrity couples have actually been able to make it work — at least openly. Here are a few couples who've talked about open relationships and even a few who practice them.
Tom Ford and Richard Buckley
When designer, Tom Ford met his husband, magazine editor, Richard Buckley over 30 years ago, it was love at first sight. The two have been happily married since 2014, though Ford admitted in an interview with New York magazine that he doesn't believe monogamy is something that comes naturally, though he didn't go so far as to say they have an open marriage.
"I think that monogamy is artificial. I do not think it's something that comes naturally to us," Ford said.
Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith
The Hollywood heavy-hitters have dealt with more than their fair share of public scrutiny and rumors surrounding their marriage of over 20 years. And while the couple has never confirmed the specific parameters of their relationship, Pinkett-Smith has said that she gives her husband the freedom to make his own decisions when it comes to who he gets involved with.
"I've always told Will, 'You can do whatever you want as long as you can look at yourself in the mirror and be OK,'" Pinkett-Smith told HuffPost Live.
Ethan Hawke and Ryan Shawhughes
It's been reported that actor Ethan Hawke's marriage to actress Uma Thurman ended after Hawke had an affair with Shawhughes, who was the couple's nanny at the time. Hawke denied the reports but has been candid about his belief that monogamy is a lot more complex than most people think.
"People have such a childish view of monogamy and fidelity," Hawke saidin a 2013 interview with Mr. Porter. "'He's cheated so he's bad, she's cheated so she's bad,' as opposed to a recognition that our species is not monogamous."
Hawke admitted that he is happy with Shawhughes, but he acknowledges that anything can happen. "Sexual fidelity can't be the whole thing you hang your relationship on," Hawke said.
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