Emma Watson has reflected on using the phrase 'self-partnered' to describe her relationship status and the reaction which ensued.
The Little Women actor made the comments in an interview last year when she discussed the pressures she felt to get married and have children as she approaches the age of 30.
Eventually, Watson found peace with being by herself, she said: 'I never believed the whole, "I'm happy single" spiel... It took me a long time, but I'm very happy [being single]. I call it being self-partnered.'
The phrase soon landed headlines of its own, as commentators looked to dissect a new type of relationship status that the former Harry Potter star had apparently coined.
In a new conversation with feminist professor and author Valerie Hudson, published in Teen Vogue, Watson reflected on the huge amount of press attention the comment garnered and what it might say about society's attitudes.
'There was no word for this kind of subliminal messaging and anxiety and pressure that I felt building up, but I couldn’t really name, and so I used the word ‘self-partnered', the 29-year-old explained.
'For me it wasn’t so much about coining a word; it was more that I needed to create a definition for something that I didn’t feel there was language for. And it 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.'
The comments came after Hudson and Watson discussed how women can struggle to express themselves in a language that was 'made by man to express theirs'.
'I often think that one of the most revolutionary things that women could do is to begin to develop words for these feelings they've always had,' Hudson said.
Well, for Watson, that's definitely what she did and who is anyone to judge?
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