When talking about her relationship status in an interview with British Vogue, last month, Emma Watson of Harry Potter fame made waves when she said she prefers to call herself “self-partnered” rather than single. This statement immediately blew up, with many citing it as an example of millennials having to find their own ridiculous labels for absolutely everything.
Now, Watson is speaking out once again to double down on her “self-partnered” label.
“I never believed the whole ‘I’m happy single’ spiel,” Watson said in her original comments. “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.”
Watson Defends “Self-Partnered” Label
Fox News reported that at the premiere for her new movie Little Women this week, Watson explained that the “self-partnered” label was initially a “throwaway comment.”
“I literally said it as a throwaway comment, thinking it would go no further,” she explained. “And then I woke up the next morning and my phone’s blowing up and I don’t know why and it’s all my friends messaging me being like, ‘Self-partnered?’ This thing’s gone crazy.”
Watson then added that she’s “so happy people feel empowered” by her “self-partnered” label, adding that it’s important to stay committed to being “self-partnered” even when in a relationship.
“It’s much more about your relationship with yourself and the feeling of not somehow deficient in some way because you’re not with someone,” she said.
While some have felt “empowered” by Watson’s new label, others have found it to be quite foolish.
Piers Morgan Blasts Watson Over Label
“Where do we get this rubbish from?” said television host Piers Morgan when he heard about it. “Self-partnering means you can’t get a bloke right?”
The U.K. Standard reported that Morgan’s “Good Morning Britain” cohost Susanna Reid tried to defend the actress, saying, “Emma Watson can have anyone she likes.”
Morgan, however, was not having any of it.
“Self-partnering. Consciously uncoupling, what does it all mean? You’re single,” he said.
Morgan was referring to Gwyneth Paltrow spin on her divorce from her husband, Coldplay singer Chris Martin. Instead of just saying they were separating, Paltrow said the pair were “consciously uncoupling.”
“When you’re consciously uncoupled you’re getting divorced,” Morgan said. “You’re splitting up or you’re single. Why do we have to put a positive spin? Put negative spins on negatives.’
“You’ve got to deal with positives and negatives in a positive and negative way,” he later added. “Negatives happen in life, just stop trying to sugarcoat everything.”
On the one hand, Watson can of course refer to her relationship status any way she sees fit. However, describing being single as being “self-partnered” is the epitome of something that a millennial snowflake would say.
Why is it that millennials have to come up with their own positive labels for every single situation?
Like Morgan said, negative things happen in life, and it’s important to face them rather than trying to come up with some positive label for everything.
Sooner or later, millennials are going to have to get their heads out of the clouds, and start facing the negatives of life head-on.
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