ESSENCE Poll: Have You Ever Been the Other Woman?

We’ve watched Olivia Pope deal with the reality of being the other woman for years, but things have just been taken to a new level.

Last night’s episode of Scandal not only tackled how Black women are treated in the media, but the harsh lens that women in general are looked at when engaged in an affair.

Labeled “manipulative” and “sassy” and “urban,” she bore the brunt of what was a mutual decision between she and Fitz. Although Fitz is dealing with issues of his own, it is not his face plastered on tabloids or his character, name and merit of his life’s work that is being questioned.

The way that women are treated when it comes to instances of infidelity aren’t just apparent in the media but in society as a whole. Women are often persecuted to a higher degree than men when it comes to knowingly or unknowingly being involved with someone else’s man.

Although in some cases there are no excuses, sometimes people find themselves in situations that are hard to get out of when it comes to love.

Whether you knew it or not, have you ever been the other woman? Tell us your story.

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