Why is there so much normalised “accidental” cheating in Ugly Betty?

Ok first off this isn’t a moral take! I don’t actually feel anything strongly. I just noticed a pattern and got curious.

  • When Betty’s first bf Walter cheated with Gina Gambarro, both Walter and Betty’s family wrote it off as a mistake / poor innocent Walter being tricked. They kept urging Betty to get back with him, which she did for a while
  • Betty kissing Henry while Matt is watching – I get that this was a goodbye kiss, but I was paying close attention and tbh she never once apologised properly to Matt. Not once. Every single time she apologised, it was in an exasperated and really dismissive way. (Later on Betty gets another chance with Henry coming back to NYC as well even if it didn’t work out)
  • Hilda jumps into bed with Bobby and ends up getting pregnant with Bobby’s child while still with her bf Archie (and Hilda ultimately gets a happy ever after with Bobby)

In all these instances, it’s explicitly said by the characters that it’s not a big deal, or it was an accident / moment of passion and it’s okay, follow your heart, etc, and they’re forgiven and suffer no consequences.

(Someone also pointed out Betty flirts with Henry when she’s with Walter, flirts with Gio when she’s with Henry, flirts with and kisses Henry when she’s with Matt. I think that was more for moving the male lead plot along, but it’s weird when Betty is supposed to be like the epitome of strict moral standards)

Then you have the apparently “bad” “on purpose” cheating (as opposed to good accidental cheating) that everyone makes quite a big deal of shaming, like Henry’s pregnant gf Charlie whom Betty literally calls a “slut”, Betty in her rich girl fantasies, and lots and lots of other times I noticed through the show. Obviously cheating from Wilhelmina & Daniel’s mum and dad too but very typical drama plot line so we won’t count this.

I feel like someone was actually trying to show there are 2 types of cheating if that makes sense. I was wondering if maybe one of the writers accidentally cheated or something and keeps trying to reassure themselves they did no wrong through fiction lol. Like I genuinely wonder if that’s the reason!

I know irl, romance is messy, and I’ve had my fair share of messy relationships and drunken encounters living in several world cities through my 20s, but I’ve never managed to accidentally cheat! And if I did I sure as hell would apologise properly. I’m not mentioning this to moralise though, only to explain why this stuck out to me and made me curious.

Or is lack of impulse control really that normal and I’m just totally naive?