WOMANWISE | CHEATING IS NO LONGER A SCANDAL — IT'S A DEAL BREAKER

For modern Indian women, betrayal isn't a scandal to survive. Cheating isn't shocking anymore - it's simply unacceptable

- NAMRATA KOHLI

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When news broke about Smriti Mandhana ending her relationship with composer Palash Muchhal over alleged cheating, the Internet reacted with unusual unanimity: "Good for her.

There was no shaming, no victim-blaming, no pressure to "adjust," no romanticising of second chances. Just a simple cultural verdict women today are unwilling to negotiate with betrayal. That reaction tells us something bigger than a celebrity breakup. It marks a shift in the dating landscape for Indian women.

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Cheating, once dismissed as "boys will be boys," a "mistake," or a "phase," has now become a hard stop a red line that many young women won't cross, even if the relationship promised stability, glamour or social approval.

What's changed? Everything expectations, boundaries, access, awareness. Women today are rewriting the rulebook: choosing emotional safety over social image, clarity over confusion, and dignity over drama.