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Everyone knows the feeling when a long-term ex moves on. But less of us know the feeling when said long-term ex moves on with one of the most famous women in the world: Lady Gaga.
While we were all distracted with Jennifer Lopez and Shakira’s incredible Superbowl Half-Time Show, Gaga was quietly stepping out with her new boyfriend, dubbed ‘Mystery Man’ in the tabloids, for the first time. Simultaneously, in New York, a writer’s phone was lighting up at her desk with hundreds of texts and calls from friends and long-forgotten acquaintances alerting her to the fact that ‘Mystery Man’ was her ex-boyfriend of seven years.
As any good writer would, Lindsay Crouse, penned an essay for the New York Times titled, ‘My Ex-Boyfriend’s New Girlfriend Is Lady Gaga.’ Crouse used one of the popstar’s songs – ‘Bad Romance’ – to describe her relationship with Mystery Man turned tech investor Michael Polansky and used the strange situation she found herself in to deep dive into social media and the lack of privacy any of us have in today’s world.
“I don’t follow my ex on social media,” she wrote. “I hadn’t googled him in forever (I promise). But this month I knew everything about his new relationship status, within hours of when it was disclosed.”
“Social media in 2020 is so ingrained that it’s no longer a supplement or even an addiction. It’s just an accelerated extension of the way humans have always behaved. We live in a culture of constant updates. You want to unsubscribe? Well, you can’t.”
Try as you might, it’s almost impossible not to compare yourself to your ex’s new love interest, but in Crouse’s case, she opted instead to bring herself up to Gaga’s level – because when it comes to relationships, she literally was Gaga a few years ago.
“Lady Gaga is amazing. Comparing yourself with her is incredibly motivational, and I recommend you try it, regardless of how you relate to who’s dating her.” Touche.
