Emma Watson says she’s not single but ‘self-partnered’
Emma Watson has spoken about being happily “self-partnered” ahead of turning 30.
The 29-year-old actor and activist, who will enter her fourth decade in April 2020, spoke of conquering the “anxiety” ahead of the milestone birthday.
“I was like, ‘Why does everyone make such a big fuss about turning 30? This is not a big deal…’,” she explained in an interview with British Vogue.
“Cut to 29, and I’m like, ‘Oh my God, I feel so stressed and anxious’.”
The former ‘Harry Potter’ star addressed societal expectations around turning 30 as a woman, saying there’s a “bloody influx of subliminal messaging” surrounding what one should have achieved by this age.
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“If you have not built a home, if you do not have a husband, if you do not have a baby, and you are turning 30, and you’re not in some incredibly secure, stable place in your career, or you’re still figuring things out…
“There’s just this incredible amount of anxiety,” she told the publication.
However, she says she has learnt to come to terms with her single status, considering herself to be “self partnered”.
“It took me a long time, but I’m very happy [being single]. I call it being self-partnered,” she added.
Watson is by no means the first female celebrity to talk about being happily uncoupled.
Last month, in a cover interview with WSJ, British supermodel Naomi Campbell, 49, told the interviewer she is not interested in looking for love right now.
“Being alone doesn’t mean you are lonely,” she said. “I don’t have time to be bored, and I don’t have time to be lonely.”
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Similarly, American actress Diane Keaton, 73, revealed earlier this year that she hasn’t been on a date in 35 years – and is living her best life.
“Let’s just get that straight. That one’s important. I haven’t been on a date in, I would say, 35 years. No dates,” she said in an interview with InStyle magazine on the cover of the August 2019 issue.
Of her lifestyle, she added: “I’ve had a lot of independence, and nobody’s telling me what to do [...] I’ve followed the paths I’ve wanted to follow.
“I like redoing houses, I like architecture, I like visuals, I like fashion, I like all of it.”
Single positivity is a growing trend. We are currently going through “The Single Age”, according to a report from JWT Intelligence earlier this year. “Outdated assumptions of singlehood are being challenged by an empowered, affluent group embracing the single life for the joy and the freedom it provides,” claimed a report earlier this year.
Even Tinder, one of the world’s leading dating app, launched a whole campaign around being happily uncoupled – called ‘Single Not Sorry’.
Watson’s “self-partnered” phrase is comparable to Gwyneth Paltrow’s oft-quoted “conscious uncoupling”, a term she coined for her amicable separation from ex-husband Chris Martin in 2014 after ten years of marriage.
