There’s nothing more soul crushing than seeing your ex move on with someone new. Now, imagine they move on with one of the most famous people in the world.
Sounds utterly heartbreaking – but for the woman who actually went through it, it was actually an empowering experience.
In a piece for the New York Times, Lindsay Crouse explained what it was like to see her ex boyfriend of seven years, Michael Polansky, make his relationship with Lady Gaga official.
“I dated this normal, mystery man for seven years,” Crouse wrote. “Our relationship lasted all of college, and then a few years more. (A popular song back then described being ‘caught in a bad romance.’”
Speaking of all things love, listen to the GOAT team get romantic on It’s Been A Big Day For…below:
Crouse explained that after she broke up with Polansky, he blocked her on Facebook and they both moved on – until recently. “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.”
Just when you start thinking – yep, this sounds like an absolute nightmare – Crouse reveals that seeing the relationship play out so publicly was actually positive. “Instead of thinking, ‘Why not me?’ when I see them together, I think ‘That was me,’” she wrote. “It pulls the illusion of celebrity down.”
In fact, Crouse found Polansky and Gaga’s new relationship “motivational.” “I went to a nice store I’d never been inside before and I tried something on. The clerk asked me what the occasion was. I found out from Facebook that my ex-boyfriend was dating Lady Gaga, I told her, and she looked me up and down.”
“The dress was too expensive, but I bought it anyway. Why should I accept any less than Lady Gaga.”
“It’s so easy as you get older to find the best in who you’ve become, to make the most of it – and maybe even to get a little complacent about it,” Crouse wrote. “But if Lady Gaga can do what she wants, and even expand on what she wants, why not me, too?”
Perhaps the cherry on top of the cake was when Crouse noticed Polansky lurking on her Instagram. “Recently someone sent me a photo of my fiance and me dancing at a wedding, and I posted it on Instagram. I saw Lady Gaga’s boyfriend in the views, and I realised we’re actually all the same: strangers, smiling on a screen.”
So there you have it – it’s not so bad losing your ex to a world famous pop star. It can actually do wonders for your self-esteem, which is something we can all get on board with.
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