In my mind, cheating has always been wrong. I always thought everyone agreed, even if they were partaking in it because, for the most part, nobody talks about it positively.

Last week I was proven wrong.

Last week I read an article with a title similar to, “I’m the girl who your boyfriend is cheating on you with”. This article was written by a woman who frequently dates men who are already in a committed relationship. She attempted to humanize her experiences and rationalize her choices with excuses like “I have commitment issues”.

I was appalled by this article, to say the least.

When did women get to the point of no remorse when they are actively ruining another woman’s life? When did women stop having empathy for other women? And if women have never had remorse or empathy, why and what will it take for them to get these things?

I wonder if these women have ever been on the receiving end of cheating or have ever watched a family break because of infidelity. I have to believe the answer is “no” because I cannot possibly understand how they could have been through either of those experiences and consciously do it to someone else.

As a child of divorce at the hand of infidelity, I never understood why my dad would want to be with anyone but my mom. I blamed only him for the affairs. Now that I am an adult, I realize it was just as much his mistress’s fault as it was his. She knew he was married with children, and she still decided to have the affair with him. Today, it’s her choices that I cannot understand. How could you ruin a perfect family and be the reason two children can’t get tucked in at night by both mommy and daddy?

Women have been fighting for equality for decades. We have been fighting this battle together. Women have been fighting against body shaming for decades. We have been fighting this battle together. Women have been fighting against sexual exploitation and objectification for decades. We have been fighting this battle together. Yet, women are still each other’s worst enemies. Why? The only people who know what you truly go through are women. We should be each other’s biggest advocates and allies, and yet, there are women out there willing to be the person you’re boyfriend or husband cheats on you with.

This is not ok.

For me, I strive to lift other women up, never tear them down. I never want to be the reason a woman is not excelling because I understand her struggles. When I meet women, I can always find a similarity between us because we have faced some of the same challenges in life. This makes me feel as though I need to try my hardest to not be one of those challenges. Women who are ok with being a man’s mistress are in essence becoming another obstacle his girlfriend or wife must overcome.

Cheating is wrong and as a woman, you should feel some sense of solidarity with other women, so how can you in good conscience tear down a woman's security? Put yourself in her shoes. It's more than just infidelity. It's the amount of respect women receive. If women can't even be respected by someone of the same sex, how can we expect to be respected by everyone else? It all starts with us and how we treat each other. It all starts with being faithful to fellow women.