Making Adultery Pay — Jenny Sanford Cashes In On Mark’s Deceit
Cry, baby, cry. Image by Getty Images via Daylife
There’s even a TV series now about a wronged political wife, The Good Wife, starring Julianna Margulies. Now Jenny Sanford, independently wealthy — how handy is that? — is writing a memoir about her lying dog of a husband, South Carolina governor Mark Sanford. Why do we care?
When you’ve got bags of your own money and can kick your adulterer quite literally to the curb, how much do you have in common with your readers?
Millions of women are “forgiving” if not forgetting their hound-dog husbands these days — as they have for decades — because one or both is stuck in a crappy recession, can’t keep or find a job paying enough money to allow them to separate, and/or may own a house that’s underwater and they can’t refinance. So the lying loser wearing their ring is still in the house. For many women right now, divorce is simply too damn complicated and expensive an option. Very few, like Jenny Sanford, have a whole extra beach house where they can go sit and commune with their thoughts, a big New York City publisher awaiting their manuscript.
Silda Spitzer kept a lid on it, and more power to her for doing so.
Spare us.
Post Your Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment
T/S Members
Log in with your True/Slant account.
Not to mention the giant advances and mega sales of ghost-written celebrity memoirs. I’m trying not to be hostile about this…
Hello Caitlin,
I think that Jenny Sanford represents what many women do not these days which is strength of character, conviction, and a strong sense of self. She never played the victim in this marriage collapse. Far too many women feel victimized and lay blame on their partners. What Jenny Sanford said was that the affair and dealing with the aftermath and public humiliation was his problem. Good for her. She moved on. I would hope that her book is one written from that perspective. Lack of money is not the only reason women stay in bad relationships. It’s also lack of self esteem. I have much respect for this woman and many could learn from her.
ctblue, I agree with you 100% that strong self-esteem is essential to escaping a lousy marriage. Good for her.
I just don’t need or want to read a book about it.
Part of me feels like: good for her, let her rip him to shreds, because of how publicly humiliated she was. And because, good lord, how emotionally infantile can one man be?? On the other hand, you’re right, this happens all the time and women either soldier on or split and move on with their lives. And let’s face it, it’s very unlikely Jenny Sanford’s book will be another “Heartburn,” you know?
Thanks, Eilene. My larger point is also that, being wealthy, she’s got a lot more options to cut, run and thrive than many women like here in much more dire straits financially who are just as eager to flee or dump the wretch — but need his income.
I’m with you on this, Caitlin. Tired of hearing about these kinds of stories and don’t understand the public’s fascination with them.