On the other hand, just try to name every single guy who has cheated on Mad Men-and gotten away with it.
In myths, novels, and films, from Helen of Troy to Hester Prynne in The Scarlet Letter to Diane Lane in 2002’s_ Unfaithful, _the affair of the rare philandering female is the centerpiece of the story, and its punishments are draconian (the Trojan War, ostracism and branding with an A, being cast in Must Love Dogs). What the hell is going on here? What, exactly, is compelling these married women to set up "sexy dates" in droves, aside from easy Internet access? For years, our collective narrative of the errant housewife has run thusly: Neglected by her aloof or abusive husband and dying a slow death from her suburban prison, she falls into the arms of a dashing, romantic gentleman.