Let’s be honest: We all stalk our exes on social media after a breakup. No matter how masochistic it is, there’s this desire to know how they're doing without us and who they’re currently dating.
Well, imagine if your ex was dating one of the world’s biggest pop stars. Oh and that pop star just happens to be the incredibly iconic Lady Gaga.
That’s what happened to Lindsay Crouse, who is a senior staff opinion editor at the New York Times. Her college ex, Michael Polansky, is Lady Gaga’s new normie entrepreneur boyfriend. It was a lot to process, so she wrote an essay about her experience.
She wrote, “I dated this normal, mystery man for seven years. Our relationship lasted all of college, and then a few years more. (A popular song from back then described being 'caught in a bad romance.')”
If you’re a non-famous person, seeing pictures of your ex with their new partner is painful enough. But when it’s someone with Lady Gaga’s star power, it’s practically impossible to escape it.
“We used to obsess about celebrities and then started obsessing about one another. Maybe a decade ago, I would have subscribed to US Weekly. Today, there’s no need: I have the parade of people in my phone. I mix 'real' celebrities with people I know and I can curate it all however I want. Then I scrolled through Instagram and saw a post from Lady Gaga: she was sitting in her new boyfriend’s lap.”
“If you’ve ever googled an ex’s new partner (be honest), you’ve probably played a certain game with yourself. You’re either just curious — which is healthy of you — or you want to know how you compare. Ideally, the ex’s life didn’t improve too much without you? In this case, though, that’s all upended. How do you compare yourself with Lady Gaga?”
Instead of being sour over her ex dating Lady Motherfucking Gaga, Lindsay decided to embrace it.
"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. At least, that’s what I did."
"If Lady Gaga can do what she wants, and even expand on what she wants, why not me, too? Why not let being 'exactly who I am' mean trying to be the best I could be? Lady Gaga continues to challenge herself, to try new things, to thrive."
I don't even know what I'd do if I found out my ex was dating Lady Gaga (though, tbh, none are worthy of her excellence). Thankfully, Lindsay's looking at the bright side and using this as a moment of empowerment.
