Table For Three This Valentine’s: One in Six Will Be Celebrating As A Throuple
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Valentine’s Day may be less about couples, and more about throuples, platonics or consensual non-monogamists, as new research suggests the notion of love could be changing forever.
According to the survey of 2,000 Brits in their 20s and 30s, over half (51 percent) of modern Brits have been in, and would consider being in, an unconventional relationship, resulting in two thirds (66 percent) believing that Valentine’s Day is too geared towards an old fashioned ‘ideal’ of love.
The research was commissioned by wine makers, 19 Crimes who have launched a range of limited-edition Valentine’s wine bottles celebrating unconventional relationships.
In fact, more than a third (36 percent) of Gen Z and Millennials have been in an open relationship where they have agreed to have an emotional connection with people outside of the primary relationship.
While 28 percent have been in a “monogamish” partnership – where occasional outside relationships are allowed with mutual consent, and 19 percent are in a long-distance union where partners live far apart and rely on technology to stay connected.
One in six (15 percent) are (or have been) in a throuple, in which three people are involved in a romantic and committed relationship, while nine percent would be happy to be in an “empty love” partnership where commitment remains, but the shared enthusiasm has faded away.
14 percent have friends in a platonic partnership – a deep emotional bond between people that involves affection and care but not romantic attraction – while 12 percent know someone in an ACE relationship where there is little to no physical attraction, but a romantic and emotional connection is there.
It’s no surprise that 84 percent believe that young Brits are redefining what a modern relationship looks like, with 82 percent agreeing that love is love no matter what and 88 percent acknowledging that it doesn’t matter what type of relationship you are in as long as you are happy.
To celebrate modern love and those people who are in unconventional relationships ahead of Valentine’s Day, rebellious wine brand 19 Crimes has teamed up with modern poet, DJ and rapper James Massiah, to re-imagine a handful of classic love poems to bring them up to date with the modern age.
James has worked with 19 Crimes to re-create a collection of poems, from classic literature including: ‘Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?’ by William Shakespeare, ‘A Red, Red Rose’ by Robert Burns, ‘How do I love thee’ by Elizabeth Barret Browning and ‘She Walks in Beauty’ by Lord Byron. Re-workings can be found here – https://we.tl/t-2inbxolwcq
Two thirds (60 percent) admit that the lack of representation of unconventional relationships in literature frustrates them, so much so that one in six (16 percent) think the romantic works of yesteryear are sexist and should contain neutral pronouns (11 percent).
Chantal McDowell, Senior Brand Manager from 19 Crimes, added: “19 Crimes feel that Valentine’s Day is an outdated celebration of love. We wanted to create a limited-edition Valentine’s label that celebrates and reflects all of the different types of modern relationships and encourage consumers to gift a bottle to someone.”
