In 1968, Andy Warhol predicted that “In the future, everyone will be world-famous for fifteen minutes.” It struck a chord and has been a favorite phrase of those achieving fleeting media publicity ever since. Between reality TV and the Internet, Warhol’s prediction has come true in ways unfathomable prior to the 1990′s when the Internet first gained commercial status.

Since November 2009, there is a new breed of publicity grabbing hustlers that ought to strike fear in the heart of philandering men the same way Glenn Close did in Fatal Attraction, when her character, Alex, declared to her lover, “I will not be ignored!” High profile, philandering men beware, there are women who will use you to grab their fifteen minutes of fame at the expense of your reputation and your family’s peace of mind.

Gaining Attention

Sandra Bullock’s husband, Jesse James, was outed for having an affair by the woman he had the affair with. Sound familiar? Tiger Woods now infamous long list of women claiming to have been his lover is seared in our memories as part of the 2009 Holiday season background noise.

You don’t have to have the celebrity status of a Tiger Woods or Jesse James. With today’s fifteen minutes of world wide fame, YouTube can accommodate the whims of any woman in the tiniest community who has just a little knowledge of web sites that require you to sign up, sign in, and load up a little information and then, there you have it; your life as you know it ruined by the other woman, using the affair to create notoriety for herself.

When a number of the women Tiger slept with came forward with their names, faces, and occupations, people were stunned that those women had the audacity to draw attention to themselves rather than disappear into the shadows for fear a scarlet letter “A” be emblazoned on their lives. What kind of woman reveals her status as the lover of an adulterer? What kind of society encourages such displays?

I have a hunch about this. Women are born with an innate desire for their men to protect and provide for them. Never before in history has society offered the other woman the means to either force her adulterous lover’s hand to protect and provide for her or to do that for herself by taking advantage of multiple forms of media to plead her case to the public.

Using An Affair For Publicity

John Edwards’ mistress, Rielle Hunter, raised people’s ire recently with published photographs that included a picture of her lying on her back in bed, looking seductively at the camera as she clutched their child to her breast. She reportedly posed for the pictures because she needed the money. With no apparent regard for good taste or the questionable appropriateness of using her child this way, Rielle used her affair with the former senator and presidential candidate to provide for herself monetarily.

In 2010 in the Western world, the other woman has more power to take care of herself at her lover’s expense than ever before in recorded history. While notoriety and ephemeral fame are short lived providers, they give the other woman a weapon that serves her, not him. That is the distinction that could make this public tell-all by the other woman a new and growing trend. Time will tell.