The Mind of the Mistress - A Woman's View on the Lovers of Celebrity Cheaters

These days, I wonder if Tiger Woods has shot a quick thank you e-mail or text to Jesse James for taking the attention off his scandals for a little while. James, who is married to one of the most talented, wealthy, and beautiful actresses in Hollywood, Sandra Bullock, is now where Tiger Woods was months ago, with women crawling out of the woodwork to share with Us Weekly and TMZ all about their flings with these famous men. Sure, many of them are being paid for these interviews and statements, but as a woman I have to wonder exactly who these skanky women are who would sleep with these guys in the first place.

Now, I am in no way excusing what these guys did. They are lowly and disgusting for cheating on the women to whom they vowed to be faithful. They make all men look bad, and for that they are getting what they deserve. Still, I can't help but wonder about the women who willingly slept with them, knowing that for a night or two of fun they could ruin people's lives forever.

I have a few theories. First, I think some of these women frankly just don't care. We all know people who might think, "Hey, it's his fault if he gets caught, so why should I care?" Others were simply trying to grab a bit of the spotlight. They knew that they'd be famous once this all came to light, that they would be the ones selling their stories to the major tabloids, having their pictures plastered on the front pages. Again, this narcissism isn't at all unusual when it comes to celebrities and their acquaintances.

Then there are the truly naive women who honestly thought when he said, "I love you," he really meant it. Here's a tip, ladies: if he's willing to cheat on his wife or girlfriend to be with you, chances are he either is just looking for a hookup, or if it does turn into a relationship that he'll do the same thing to you.

What baffles me about all of them, though, is the fact that so many are willing to come out and say, "I screwed Tiger!" They are willingly letting their names and faces become associated with scandal. In the eyes of everyone, they are now "Tiger's mistress" rather than being their own person. Perhaps they simply are incapable of thinking about the future - don't they realize that once they are no longer young and beautiful, even the porn producers won't want them and nobody will really want to hire the girl who slept with Tiger Woods or Jesse James. You can only make so much money before your 15 minutes are up, ladies. Once it's over, it's over, and you will fall back into obscurity until a potential employer Googles you ten years down the line and realizes you were one of his "mistresses".

Maybe I've overanalyzed this whole thing, but I can't help but wonder why nobody else tries to get into the heads of these ladies. There have been lots of articles about men who cheat since John Edwards and Tiger Woods got caught, but what about the women who they slept with? What are these women actually thinking? I'd personally like to know, because as a woman, I could never see myself sleeping with a man I know is married, much less a married man who is also a celebrity.