Is Cheating the New ‘Oops’?

“I’d be okay being with another woman while we’re together… I just enjoy being with two women at once.” Imagine your partner saying that casually to you. This is how cheating is being glamourised today — so openly that even celebrities discuss it like it’s normal. We call it “micro-cheating” or “an emotional slip,” anything but what it really is.

From Ayushmann Khurrana and Rakul Preet Singh calling an “emotional slip” forgivable once, to shows like Desi Bling casually normalising infidelity — the conversation around loyalty has clearly changed. Filmmaker Lakshmi R Iyer even criticised Tabinda and Satish Sanpal for glorifying such behaviour. Similarly, a discussion on infidelity in Two Much with Kajol and Twinkle drew backlash after physical cheating was brushed aside as “raat gayi baat gayi” compared to emotional betrayal. The bigger question is: when did cheating become so casual that the person breaking trust started receiving more empathy than the one hurt by it?

Soft phrases and lighter labels may make betrayal sound harmless, but they slowly dilute the value of loyalty itself. Actress Shahana Goswami also introduced another modern relationship dynamic, openly admitting to having multiple partners while claiming each bond is emotionally rooted and not casual!

Dating apps, AI bonds & secret chats

Today, relationship boundaries are blurring more openly than ever. Couples casually engage in disappearing chats, emotional “backup” connections, AI chatbot attachments, sexting, secret subscriptions and flirtation within gaming communities. At the same time, dynamics like open marriages, swinging culture, cuckolding, kin swapping and sex-chatbots on Telegram are becoming more and more visible and normalised online. What earlier generations would have clearly viewed as breaches of trust are now often repackaged as “modern relationship dynamics,” “harmless fun,” or “personal freedom,” making emotional and digital infidelity appear more socially acceptable than ever before! Dr. Munia Bhattacharya, senior consultant psychologist at Marengo Asia Hospitals, believes the growing empathy around infidelity narratives stems from society’s fascination with redemption and second chances. “People often see their own fears, regrets or emotional wounds shown in such stories, especially when celebrities openly discuss them.”

According to her, while a section of people today are beginning to blur traditional relationship boundaries through emotional attachments, digital intimacy, it would be unfair to suggest that everyone views infidelity casually. “The definition of cheating has certainly expanded beyond physical intimacy for some individuals. Many people now admit they may recover from physical attraction faster than emotional betrayal. That shows a growing fear of emotional replacement rather than just physical disloyalty,” she explains. She further adds that once attention, emotional investment and secrecy start shifting outside a relationship, emotional damage quietly begins to build — regardless of what label society chooses to give it.

Where fidelity no longer means one partner

These ultra-modern relationship narratives are also normalising casual involvement with married people and even framing the desire for additional partners during intimacy as “normal.” In a recent podcast interview, even RJ Mahvash opened up about how her engagement ended at just 19 after she found out her fiancé had cheated on her three separate times! In a reported incident from a Hyderabad neighbourhood, marketing professional Shambhavi Nitya shares a story about a friend whose long-term relationship nearly ended in marriage discussions. After two years together, the partner abruptly called off the engagement, saying he was not comfortable with monogamy and preferred an open relationship, describing commitment as “suffocating.”

Legal reality of cheating!

In today’s world, the law can punish fraud, harassment, blackmail, stalking, or abuse but infidelity itself still remains outside the courtroom. According to celebrity lawyer Sana Raees Khan, “Under Indian law, there is no separate legal classification for cheating. Courts are generally less concerned with the modern terminology popularised by social media and more focused on the actual conduct of the spouses, the evidence supporting that conduct and the legal impact it has had on the marriage! But, at the same time, the judiciary is gradually becoming more conscious of the fact that emotional affairs can really affect a marriage, even in the absence of a physical relationship.”