Drew Afualo Opened Up About Her Choice Not To Have Kids<\/title><link rel=\"preconnect\" href=\"https:\/\/cdn.permutive.com\"\/><link rel=\"preconnect\" href=\"https:\/\/img.buzzfeed.com\/buzzfeed-static\"\/><link rel=\"dns-prefetch\" href=\"https:\/\/img.buzzfeed.com\/buzzfeed-static\"\/><link rel=\"preconnect\" href=\"https:\/\/abeagle-public.buzzfeed.com\" crossorigin=\"\"\/><link rel=\"dns-prefetch\" href=\"https:\/\/abeagle-public.buzzfeed.com\"\/><link rel=\"dns-prefetch\" href=\"https:\/\/c.amazon-adsystem.com\"\/><link rel=\"preconnect\" href=\"https:\/\/c.amazon-adsystem.com\" crossorigin=\"\"\/><link rel=\"dns-prefetch\" href=\"https:\/\/c.aps.amazon-adsystem.com\"\/><link rel=\"preconnect\" href=\"https:\/\/c.aps.amazon-adsystem.com\" crossorigin=\"\"\/><link rel=\"dns-prefetch\" href=\"https:\/\/aax.amazon-adsystem.com\"\/><link rel=\"preconnect\" href=\"https:\/\/aax.amazon-adsystem.com\"\/><link rel=\"dns-prefetch\" href=\"https:\/\/config.aps.amazon-adsystem.com\"\/><link rel=\"preconnect\" href=\"https:\/\/config.aps.amazon-adsystem.com\"\/><link rel=\"dns-prefetch\" href=\"https:\/\/client.aps.amazon-adsystem.com\"\/><link rel=\"preconnect\" href=\"https:\/\/client.aps.amazon-adsystem.com\"\/><link rel=\"dns-prefetch\" href=\"https:\/\/c.amazon-adsystem.com\"\/><link rel=\"dns-prefetch\" href=\"https:\/\/tagan.adlightning.com\"\/><link rel=\"dns-prefetch\" href=\"https:\/\/cd.connatix.com\"\/><link rel=\"dns-prefetch\" href=\"https:\/\/cds.connatix.com\"\/><link rel=\"dns-prefetch\" href=\"https:\/\/cdn.permutive.com\"\/><link rel=\"dns-prefetch\" href=\"https:\/\/use.typekit.net\"\/><link rel=\"dns-prefetch\" href=\"https:\/\/p.typekit.net\"\/><link rel=\"dns-prefetch\" href=\"https:\/\/recsys-api.buzzfeed.com\/web\"\/><link rel=\"dns-prefetch\" href=\"https:\/\/sentry.io\"\/><link rel=\"dns-prefetch\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\"\/><link rel=\"dns-prefetch\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gstatic.com\"\/><link rel=\"dns-prefetch\" href=\"https:\/\/s.pinimg.com\"\/><link rel=\"dns-prefetch\" href=\"https:\/\/cdn-gl.imrworldwide.com\"\/><link rel=\"dns-prefetch\" href=\"https:\/\/sb.scorecardresearch.com\"\/><link rel=\"dns-prefetch\" href=\"https:\/\/amplify.outbrain.com\"\/><link rel=\"dns-prefetch\" href=\"https:\/\/tr.outbrain.com\"\/><link rel=\"dns-prefetch\" href=\"https:\/\/cdn-magiclinks.trackonomics.net\"\/><link rel=\"dns-prefetch\" href=\"https:\/\/js.stripe.com\"\/><link rel=\"preload\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\" href=\"https:\/\/cdn.cookielaw.org\/scripttemplates\/otSDKStub.js\" as=\"script\"\/><link rel=\"preload\" href=\"https:\/\/www.buzzfeed.com\/static-assets\/js\/vendor.7108a39869c999f3999a.js?brotli=allow\" as=\"script\"\/><link rel=\"preload\" href=\"https:\/\/www.buzzfeed.com\/static-assets\/js\/subbuzzes.b8876abe9fec5c4de554.js?brotli=allow\" as=\"script\"\/><link rel=\"preload\" href=\"https:\/\/securepubads.g.doubleclick.net\/tag\/js\/gpt.js\" as=\"script\"\/><meta name=\"copyright\" content=\"Copyright BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved.\"\/><meta name=\"apple-mobile-web-app-capable\" content=\"yes\"\/><meta name=\"apple-mobile-web-app-title\" content=\"BuzzFeed\"\/><meta name=\"theme-color\" content=\"#ee3322\"\/><link rel=\"shortcut icon\" crossorigin=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.buzzfeed.com\/static-assets\/_next\/static\/images\/favicon-496b7cee633e6a7dca162654e1bb39c9.ico\" type=\"image\/x-icon\"\/><link rel=\"manifest\" crossorigin=\"use-credentials\" href=\"https:\/\/www.buzzfeed.com\/manifest.json\"\/><meta name=\"title\" content=\"Drew Afualo Opened Up About Her Choice Not To Have Kids\"\/><meta name=\"description\" content=\""Bringing life into the world is not the only way to find happiness."\"\/><meta property=\"bf:buzzid\" content=\"7873774\"\/><meta property=\"bf:userid\" content=\"9107400\"\/><link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.buzzfeed.com\/morgansloss1\/drew-afualo-decision-not-to-have-kids\"\/><link rel=\"image_src\" href=\"https:\/\/img.buzzfeed.com\/buzzfeed-static\/static\/2025-05\/09\/16\/thumb\/rZc-B67XK.jpg?crop=2490:1660;5,0&resize=1250:830\"\/><meta name=\"robots\" content=\"max-snippet:-1,max-image-preview:large,max-video-preview:-1\"\/><meta property=\"author\" content=\"Morgan Sloss\"\/><meta property=\"pin:media\" content=\"https:\/\/img-mkr.buzzfeed.com\/buzzfeed-static\/static\/2025-05\/09\/16\/thumb\/rZc-B67XK.jpg?crop=2490:1660;5,0&resize=1250:830?template=pinterest-vertical-dots-v1&title=RHJldyBBZnVhbG8gT3BlbmVkIFVwIEFib3V0IEhlciBEZWNpc2lvbiBOb3QgVG8gSGF2ZSBLaWRzLCBBbmQgQXMgQSBDaGlsZGZyZWUgV29tYW4gTXlzZWxmIFRoYW5rIFlvdSBGb3IgTm9ybWFsaXppbmcgVGhpcw==&color1=orange\"\/><meta property=\"pin:description\" content=\"Drew Afualo Opened Up About Her Decision Not To Have Kids, And As A Childfree Woman Myself, Thank You For Normalizing This\"\/><meta property=\"fb:smart_publish:robots\" content=\"noauto\"\/><meta property=\"fb:app_id\" content=\"45075597673\"\/><meta property=\"al:ios:app_store_id\"\/><meta property=\"al:ios:app_name\"\/><meta property=\"al:ios:url\"\/><meta property=\"article:section\" content=\"Celebrity\"\/><meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/BuzzFeed\"\/><meta property=\"article:content_tier\" content=\"free\"\/><meta property=\"article:opinion\" content=\"false\"\/><meta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"\"\/><meta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"aapi\"\/><meta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"dib-celebs\"\/><meta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"timely\"\/><meta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"womens content\"\/><meta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"drew_afualo\"\/><meta property=\"article:tag\" content=\"apahm_2025\"\/><meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.buzzfeed.com\/morgansloss1\/drew-afualo-decision-not-to-have-kids\"\/><meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"BuzzFeed\"\/><meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/img.buzzfeed.com\/buzzfeed-static\/static\/2025-05\/09\/16\/thumb\/5yUIWCoUg.jpg?crop=2400:1257;0,0%26downsize=1250:*\"\/><meta property=\"og:image:alt\" content=\"Two images: One shows\u00a0Drew in an elegant, shimmering gown on a red carpet. The other shows her in chic, wide-legged pants and blazer on a city street\"\/><meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Drew Afualo Opened Up About Her Decision Not To Have Kids: "It's Not The Path For Everyone"\"\/><meta property=\"og:description\" content=\""Bringing life into the world is not the only way to find happiness."\"\/><meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\"\/><meta name=\"twitter:app:id:iphone\" content=\"352969997\"\/><meta name=\"twitter:app:url:iphone\" content=\"buzzfeed:\/\/buzz\/morgansloss1\/drew-afualo-decision-not-to-have-kids\"\/><meta name=\"twitter:app:id:ipad\" content=\"352969997\"\/><meta name=\"twitter:app:url:ipad\" content=\"buzzfeed:\/\/buzz\/morgansloss1\/drew-afualo-decision-not-to-have-kids\"\/><meta name=\"twitter:app:id:googleplay\" content=\"com.buzzfeed.android\"\/><meta name=\"twitter:app:url:googleplay\" content=\"https:\/\/www.buzzfeed.com\/morgansloss1\/drew-afualo-decision-not-to-have-kids\"\/><meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@BuzzFeedCeleb\"\/><meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@morgansloss\"\/><meta name=\"twitter:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.buzzfeed.com\/morgansloss1\/drew-afualo-decision-not-to-have-kids\"\/><meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Drew Afualo Opened Up About Her Decision Not To Have Kids: "It's Not The Path For Everyone"\"\/><meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\""Bringing life into the world is not the only way to find happiness."\"\/><meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\"\/><meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/img.buzzfeed.com\/buzzfeed-static\/static\/2025-05\/09\/16\/thumb\/DsEVTEmOQ.jpg?crop=2400:1200;0,0%26downsize=1250:*\"\/><meta itemprop=\"articleSection\" content=\"US\"\/><meta name=\"next-head-count\" content=\"102\"\/><noscript data-n-css=\"\"\/><\/head><body id=\"wp_automatic_ReadabilityBody\"><\/p>\n<div id=\"__next\" data-reactroot=\"\">\n<div class=\"DestinationWrapper_buzzfeed__LdORv\"><main aria-hidden=\"false\" id=\"buzz-content\" class=\"post_main__leFIt post_buzzfeed__G3TlM embed-content\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"post_article__U0mpv post_default__QLsRf post_buzzfeed__G3TlM embed-post\">\n<div class=\"post_content__w3pdf\">\n<article>\n<div>\n<div class=\" buzz--list buzz--Celebrity subbuzzes-wrapper subbuzzes--buzzfeed \">\n<div class=\"js-subbuzz-wrapper\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"subbuzz buzz-width--standard__subbuzz buzz-type--list__subbuzz subbuzz-text subbuzz-index-1 \" data-module=\"subbuzz-text\">\n<h2 class=\"subbuzz__header subbuzz__header--standard subbuzz__title \">\n<p> <span class=\"js-subbuzz__title-text\">In one chapter, Drew shares an emotional account of a pregnancy scare that helped her realize she doesn’t want kids. As a fellow Samoan woman who’s also childfree while understanding the importance of family in our culture, I appreciated her open discussion of all this during a recent interview for BuzzFeed’s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.buzzfeed.com\/morgansloss1\/voices-of-the-pacific-interview-series\"><i>Voices of the Pacific<\/i><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.buzzfeed.com\/morgansloss1\/voices-of-the-pacific-interview-series\">series<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"js-subbuzz-wrapper\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"subbuzz buzz-width--standard__subbuzz buzz-type--list__subbuzz subbuzz-image subbuzz-index-2 \" data-module=\"subbuzz-image\">\n<h2 class=\"subbuzz__header subbuzz__header--standard subbuzz__title \">\n<p> <span class=\"js-subbuzz__title-text\">The 29-year-old told BuzzFeed, “That chapter was one of the hardest to write because it’s obviously a very personal and intimate decision. But at the same time, with that experience in particular, it was really important to incorporate it into my book. I did struggle a little bit with being that vulnerable. Thankfully, I was gently encouraged by my team to include it because it is so important to see representation in many different ways, including women who live lives outside of what is expected. Patriarchal expectation put on us through cultural expectation is also extremely confusing and can be very suffocating in a lot of ways.”<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"subbuzz__media\">\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"js-subbuzz-wrapper\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"subbuzz buzz-width--standard__subbuzz buzz-type--list__subbuzz subbuzz-text subbuzz-index-3 \" data-module=\"subbuzz-text\">\n<h2 class=\"subbuzz__header subbuzz__header--standard subbuzz__title \">\n<p> <span class=\"js-subbuzz__title-text\">Drew’s advice to people who can have children and are on the fence is this: “If it’s not a yes, it’s a no, and that’s OK.”<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"js-subbuzz-wrapper\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"subbuzz buzz-width--standard__subbuzz buzz-type--list__subbuzz subbuzz-image subbuzz-index-4 \" data-module=\"subbuzz-image\">\n<h2 class=\"subbuzz__header subbuzz__header--standard subbuzz__title \">\n<p> <span class=\"js-subbuzz__title-text\">“Will your answer change? It’s really specific to the person, but in my experience, I know what I want and what I don’t. I don’t know if that’s shocking to hear from me,” she said with her signature laugh. “I’m very confident in my decision-making. Any sort of hesitation that I had, I realized after the fact, was purely patriarchal enforcement. It was not because that’s what I wanted; it was because I felt like that was expected of me as someone with a uterus. But also, Samoan culture, it’s very family-oriented. Kids are a huge part of life. So, I really had to come to terms with that.”<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"subbuzz__media\">\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"js-subbuzz-wrapper\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"subbuzz buzz-width--standard__subbuzz buzz-type--list__subbuzz subbuzz-image subbuzz-index-5 \" data-keywords=\"fast fashion\" data-module=\"subbuzz-image\">\n<h2 class=\"subbuzz__header subbuzz__header--standard subbuzz__title \">\n<p> <span class=\"js-subbuzz__title-text\">Drew encouraged people who are struggling with this decision to “really unpack it.” She continued, “Sit with it and come to terms with it, and understand that bringing life into the world is not the only way to find happiness. It’s not the only way to find fulfillment, and it’s not the path for everyone, and that’s OK. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.”<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"subbuzz__media\">\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"js-subbuzz-wrapper\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"subbuzz buzz-width--standard__subbuzz buzz-type--list__subbuzz subbuzz-image subbuzz-index-6 \" data-keywords=\"cleaning\" data-module=\"subbuzz-image\">\n<h2 class=\"subbuzz__header subbuzz__header--standard subbuzz__title \">\n<p> <span class=\"js-subbuzz__title-text\">“And I really do feel like that was the last piece of my internalized misogyny that I had to rip out of myself, because even admitting it out loud, I still felt a lot of shame, which I shouldn’t. Shame for what? For whom? There’s no shame to be had; that is purely just misogynistic pressure being put on my shoulders as someone with a uterus, which is crazy to think about,” she concluded.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"subbuzz__media\">\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"js-subbuzz-wrapper\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"subbuzz buzz-width--standard__subbuzz buzz-type--list__subbuzz subbuzz-image subbuzz-index-7 \" data-module=\"subbuzz-image\">\n<h2 class=\"subbuzz__header subbuzz__header--standard subbuzz__title \">\n<p> <span class=\"js-subbuzz__title-text\">You can read Drew’s full interview <a href=\"https:\/\/www.buzzfeed.com\/morgansloss1\/drew-afualo-interview-voices-of-the-pacific\">here<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"subbuzz__media\">\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/main><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/body><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.buzzfeed.com\/morgansloss1\/drew-afualo-decision-not-to-have-kids\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Drew Afualo Opened Up About Her Choice Not To Have Kids In one chapter, Drew shares an emotional account of a pregnancy scare that helped her realize she doesn’t want kids. As a fellow Samoan woman who’s also childfree while understanding the importance of family in our culture, I appreciated her open discussion of all […] <a class=\"g1-link g1-link-more\" href=\"https:\/\/umyonews.site\/index.php\/2025\/05\/11\/drew-afualo-opened-up-about-her-choice-not-to-have-kids\/\">More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6717,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[128],"tags":[],"reaction":[],"adace-sponsor":[],"class_list":["post-6716","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment"],"wps_subtitle":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/umyonews.site\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6716","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/umyonews.site\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/umyonews.site\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/umyonews.site\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/umyonews.site\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6716"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/umyonews.site\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6716\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/umyonews.site\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6717"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/umyonews.site\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6716"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/umyonews.site\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6716"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/umyonews.site\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6716"},{"taxonomy":"reaction","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/umyonews.site\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/reaction?post=6716"},{"taxonomy":"adace-sponsor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/umyonews.site\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/adace-sponsor?post=6716"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}