Inspired by the culture’s latest cheating scandals, the girlies unpack monogamy as a social norm and explore what happens when we break the rules. They explore theories of mononormativity, investigate the psychological consequences of being cheated on, and try to answer a pressing question: why are we still attempting monogamy if people keep having affairs? Digressions include the NYC earthquake, kindhearted midwesterners, and one listener’s love of Hoop. SOURCES: Abolish the Family: A Manifesto for Care and Liberation Anatomy of Love  Compulsory Monogamy and Polyamorous Existence Forgiveness of Sexual Cheating in Romantic Relationships Greater Wealth Inequality, Less Polygyny: Rethinking the Polygyny Threshold Model Love Is Not a Permanent State of Enthusiasm: An Interview with Esther Perel Once A Cheater, Always A Cheater? Marriage Therapists Weigh In Post Infidelity Stress Disorder Sex at Dawn That’s Revolting! Queer Strategies for Resisting Assimilation The Aftershocks of Infidelity: A Review of Infidelity-Based Attachment Trauma The Red Queen Was That Cheating? Perceptions Vary by Sex, Attachment Anxiety, and Behavior What’s Wrong With Infidelity?