Emma Watson describes ‘fascination’ with kink culture and recalls backlash to self-partnered statement

‘I needed to create a definition for something that I didn’t feel there was language for,’ actor says

Emma Watson has spoken about the response she received when she called herself “self-partnered” while also discussing how she has become “slightly fascinated by kink culture” due to the level of communication involved.

Last year, Watson was interviewed by transgender rights activist Paris Lees for the November issue of British Vogue.

During the interview, the Little Women star said that she felt “very happy” being single, adding that she describes it as “being self-partnered”.

The 29-year-old’s statement prompted a flurry of responses from fans, many of whom said her comment made them feel “empowered”.

However, others took a less positive approach to her terminology, something that Watson touched upon during a recent conversation with author Valerie Hudson.

Earlier this month, Watson and Hudson — who wrote the book Sex and World Peace — spoke on the phone about topics including the #MeToo movement, gender equality and traditional views on relationships.

During their conversation, which was published by Teen Vogue on Tuesday 31 March, Watson explained that as she approached her 30s, she experienced an “incredible, sudden anxiety and pressure that I had to be married or have a baby or moving into a house, and there was no word for this kind of subliminal messaging and anxiety and pressure that I felt building up”.

“So I used the word ‘self-partnered’,” she stated. “For me it wasn’t so much about coining a word; it was more than I needed to create a definition for something that I didn’t feel there was language for.”

Watson said that her coining of the term “self-partnered” was “really interesting because it really riled some people up”.

“It was less for me about the word but more about what it meant — just this idea that we need to reclaim language and space in order to express ourselves because sometimes it’s really not there.”

While in conversation with Hudson, Watson also spoke about the importance of being open in relationships, outlining how in her view, “relationships that don’t necessarily follow traditional models require more communication and consent”.

“It requires an actual conversation and agreement about the delegation of tasks and labour and responsibilities that maybe you don’t feel that you need to have or should have if you follow those traditional stereotypes,” the activist said.

“The idea that relationships are supposed to be easy and it’s all supposed to be implicitly understood, and you’re just meant to get each other, it’s bulls***! It’s impossible!”

Watson added that in her experience, many of the “healthiest relationships” she has witnessed “have been between same-sex couples because, I think, they have to sit down and agree [on] things”.

“They agree [on] things between them as opposed to [accepting] certain sets of assumptions and expectations that are made,” she said.

The Harry Potter star added that she has “become slightly fascinated by kink culture” due to the degree of communication that is utilised.

“They are the best communicators ever. They know all about consent,” Watson said.