Chances are, you've heard people call their exes "crazy." And if you're a woman, you've likely been called "crazy." All too often, however, the "crazy" label is used to silence women and put us into an overly emotional, unreliable box — a dynamic that can easily play out during breakups. (Some women, like Rachel Bloom — with her stereotype-dismantling, aptly-titled show, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend — are even reclaiming the phrase.)
Unfortunately, there's not much that can be done to stop someone from calling you "crazy," (or "irrational" or "emotional or "unreliable"). And when it comes to breakups, it's especially hard — emotions run high, people say things they don't mean, and every little text and action is inspected under a microscope. This is why we were pleasantly surprised to discover the so-called "crazy" exes on Reddit coming forward to tell their side of the story.
Many of the posters dealt with serial cheaters or gaslighting partners, two things that are enough to make someone feel "crazy." A few posters did 'fess up to some bad behaviour, but with nuanced explanations that are rarely covered when a guy throws out the "crazy" label during drinks with his mates.
All of these accounts, however, reveal an important point: When someone calls an ex "crazy," more often than not, he or she is leaving out a huge part of the story — rather than truly owning up to how the relationship ended. As one poster wrote, "It takes two to tango, and I haven't encountered many situations personally where the blame was truly one-sided."
Read ahead for seven stories from people who were deemed "crazy" by their exes.
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