Revenge !

What a curious little story is playing out on social media !    It all started when a wronged husband offered his ex-wife's wedding dress for sale on Online market place - Gumtree.   It was a bitter/sweet act of vengeance and he claimed that his marriage ended when he discovered that his wife had been sleeping with his best friend.   It certainly attracted plenty of attention - and there were over 120,000 hits in the first few days of it's appearance - and several offers for the dress.

Now the story has taken a new twist.   An offer to buy has been refused because it came from what is described as an " Infidelity website ".    It seems that in this modern day and age we actually have a registered business which offers to train people in how to have the " perfect undiscovered affair ".
The owner of this business wanted to put the dress on display in the foyer to remind customers of the possible outcome - from which he could save them by careful training to avoid their affairs being discovered.

Presumably this is a unisex offer.   This firm will accept money from both men and women who want to satisfy their sexual needs outside of their permanent relationships and do it with the utmost discretion.  There is no clue to the length of time this training will take, nor the amount of money involved.  It is hardly the type of course that ends with the award of some sort of diploma - but the fact that it exists is certainly a testament to the changed mores of the twenty-first century.

It is a far cry from the puritanical days when every bride going down the aisle was automatically thought to be a " virgin " and no divorce was possible without at least one party publicly branded as the " offender " who destroyed the marriage.   In fact, the very idea of marriage is now sees as a " curiosity " by many people.  It is often undertaken simply to collate financial affairs under a legal umbrella that has yet to be revised to accommodate Gay unions.

Perhaps the most obvious relaxation of the marriage bond is the withdrawal from the custom of the woman automatically taking her partner's surname.   The transition from " Miss " to  " Mrs " was completely one sided - and today most married women retain their so called " maiden name " indefinitely.   Families with only daughters who rued the fact that there were no sons to carry on the family name are now well served by daughters carving out illustrious careers - and doing so under the name bestowed when they were born.

Sex is no longer the bogey it was many decades ago and the fact that an entrepreneur exists - making a living teaching people how to cheat on their partner - is surely a sign of the times.   The fact that some people actually pay money to cover their tracks also tells a story.    Those with a propensity to " wander " still value the fidelity of their partner, hence this resort to subterfuge.

It also illustrates the business acumen present in this twenty-first century.    Wherever need exists - supply will inevitably follow !