Shirley MacLaine and Steve Parker’s Open Relationship Helped Sustain Their 28-Year Marriage
The concept of open relationships elicits a debate according to many who believe in a more monogamous way of life. More and more celebrities have come out in favor of open marriages, with some like Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith crediting it with their marital functionality. Steel Magnolias star Shirley MacLaine agrees as she said she and Steve Parker’s open relationship helped sustain their 28-year marriage.
Shirley MacLaine believes an open relationship is the secret to a happy marriage
MacLaine and Parker got married in 1954 and got divorced in 1982. The duo shares a daughter Stephanie Sachiko Parker who goes by Sachi. With a nearly 30-year-old marriage, it’s fair to say MacLaine is an authority on most things marriage.
The actor told People in 2016 that the secret to her long-lasting marriage lay in their open relationship. She told the outlet that she and her film producer husband were more of friends than they were lovers. She said, “I guess you would say ‘practiced an open marriage’ in 1954, which was another lifetime.”
MacLaine further shared that no one understood their arrangement, but it made sense to them. “He lived in Japan basically, I lived in America working, and this and that. We’d meet up. Always great friends. Traveled sometimes together.”
“I think that’s the basis for a long-lasting marriage if you really want to do such a thing,” she said. MacLaine offered that it’s better for two people to remain friends throughout the union. “We don’t have enough time to talk about the sexuality of all. I was very open about all that and so was he,” she said. MacLaine stood by Parker and their relationship, once calling Parker “the love of my life.”
Expert opinions on open marriages
Open marriages tear the very fabric of what many grew up believing about romantic commitment. This is partially why it fascinates most people. Psychology Today reports that about 5% of the population practices consensual non-monogamy (CNM).
Researchers suggest that the number may be higher given the stigma surrounding CNM. Many people not openly admitting to being in an open relationship. According to Oprah Daily, an open relationship is an arrangement where two people decide to include others in their shared experiences for sexual pleasure.
The publication further notes a difference between open relationships and polyamory. The former has one committed couple not seeking a love connection outside of themselves.
Experts believe that open relationships are open to interpretation; couples have different rules. They also agree that while open relationships work for some people, they cannot save a troubled marriage.
An expert told Oprah Daily that if a couple already has conflicts within a monogamous institution, including power struggles, engaging in CNM is likely to magnify their issues even more. However, they encourage those who want to practice CNM to conduct extensive research before jumping into the arrangement.
Other celebrities who don’t believe in monogamy
Like her parents, singer Willow Smith doesn’t believe in committing to one person as she finds monogamy “antiquated.” She said, “With polyamory, I feel like the main foundation is the freedom to be able to create a relationship style that works for you.”
Mo’Nique and her husband Sidney Hicks started a podcast in 2016 that aims at educating other couples on the variations of relationships. Tom Ford called monogamy “artificial” in an interview with New York Magazine, and
Ethan Hawke thinks, “People have such a childish view of monogamy and fidelity.” The actor told The HuffPost in 2013 that “our species is not monogamous.”
