This week, The New York Times Magazine released a long profile on “Lessons From a 20-Person Polycule: How they set boundaries, navigate jealousy, wingman their spouses and foster community.”
“Polycules” are still obscure enough that the Times feels the need for an explainer in the first paragraph, so it’s an open question whether such a high-profile outlet giving these people attention is a good idea. But if you’re curious, here’s the explanation:
The word “polycule” is a synthesis of polyamory — engaging in multiple romantic relationships — and molecule. …it seems to have started catching on around 15 years ago to suggest an intricate structure formed of people with overlapping deep attachments: romantic, sexual, sensual, platonic.
Of course, now that the Times is injecting this further into the discourse, it’s perhaps worth discussing how self-evidently insane the world of “polycules” is. So let’s take a whirlwind tour of some of the highlights of this profile.
1. Being in a polycule is all about “ethical nonmonogamy,” which, aside from being a contradiction in terms, isn’t a concept anyone agrees on:
It’s freedom. I am so grateful to be a part of it. I have this abundance of love to give. I feel so in my power. We all approach ENM, ethical nonmonogamy, differently. Everyone is so deeply in love with each other, whether or not it’s romantic love.
2. As you may have suspected, these people were warped by college gender studies
