We all know how a love story is meant to go.
Boy meets girl, girl and boy date. Girl and boy move into house, they buy a Le Creuset casserole dish. Boy proposes, girl puts it on Instagram (‘he liked it so he put a ring on it’), boy and girl get married and hang bunting in a marquee. Girl gets pregnant and announces it on Facebook. Girl has baby. Boy and girl buy bigger car, boy and girl have another baby, boy and girl live happily ever after. Bit bored? Worried you’ll never want to follow that particular formula? Me, too. So what about the women who are breaking out of the template and rejecting traditional rules of love – be that monogamy or gender preference or indeed gender identification? After all, while boy meets girl may be the oldest love story, it certainly isn’t shatter-proof. On the whole, US studies have shown that a staggering 50-60 per cent of men and 45-55 per cent of women cheat within a marriage*. For centuries we’ve been told we are creatures of monogamous habit, but the facts disagree. Perhaps it’s time to amend the rules to align with the reality of being human.
Polyamory, put simply, is the practice of having more than one partner at the same time. But hold your presumptions of car keys in a fruit bowl. When I speak to women for whom polyamory is a committed and important part of their lives, I realise it’s far more complex than just having lots of sex. Hannah, a 26-year-old PhD student, has been in various polyamorous relationships for five years. It began when she dated a man who was seeing other people; from there, she started a relationship with another couple.
Denne historien er fra October 2015-utgaven av Marie Claire - UK.
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Denne historien er fra October 2015-utgaven av Marie Claire - UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Uma Thurman
‘I Managed To Stay In The Business That I Love All My Life, And I Know That’s Not A Given. I Can’t Not Feel Lucky About It, No Matter What The Downsides Can Be’.
Pollution Proof Your Life
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We Love Lucy
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Facing The Floods
Photographer Gideon Mendel has spent 12 years capturing the extreme rise in flooding across the globe. Here, he tells Marie Claire about the devastating human impact.
'Learn How To Please Yourself First' –and Other Sex Tips From Our Mums
Three mothers and daughters explain how talking openly to each other about sex, identity and pleasure has strengthened their relationship and enriched their love lives
10 Mindful Ways To Approach Health And Well-Being
From cortisol-free fitness to stress-busting diets and calm skin, Fiona Embleton reveals ten mindful ways to approach health and well-being
Sex Crimes on Campus
This month, thousands of female students will head for university, but many will become the victims of sexual assault and harassment.Polly Dunbar investigates the alarming rise of college rape culture.
Fight The Fear
Approximately ten million people in the UK suffer with a debilitating phobia. When Charlotte Haigh’s fear of flying threatened to damage her mental health, she took action…
Celine Dion
‘Growing Up, I Used to Feel Awkward and Insecure. I Remember Not Feeling or Looking My Best’
