Carmen Electra, 54, Urges Better Dating Etiquette for Middle-Aged Women in Playboy Interview

Q: After divorce, should you follow Carmen Electra's 'have fun' advice or the cautious warnings from psychological experts?

The strongest advice is to combine both: have fun, but only within a slow, self-aware, low-pressure approach. Carmen Electra’s message speaks to confidence and permission. After divorce, especially in your 40s, it can be healthy to enjoy life again, meet people, and reject the idea that dating must be grim or overly cautious. Experts do not really dispute that. What they warn against is using dating to numb grief, fill loneliness, or recreate old patterns. Therapists say post-divorce dating often gets distorted by “ghost wiring” from the marriage, idealized early impressions, and “serial limerence” — chasing the high of new romance instead of healing. That is why many recommend delaying serious commitment, often for many months, and paying attention to whether a new connection feels steady and grounding rather than intense and chaotic. High divorce rates in second and third marriages are often linked to unresolved patterns, not bad luck alone. A practical middle path is to treat dating as exploration, not rescue. Casual dates, new social experiences, and meeting people can be useful and even enjoyable if the goal is self-discovery rather than immediate partnership. Experts advise asking whether you want someone to meet you or to complete you. If it is the latter, you are probably not ready. So Electra’s “have fun” advice works best after some healing, with clear boundaries, honesty, and realistic expectations. Fun is healthy; avoidance is not.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 15

Electra told Playboy that men pursuing middle-aged women should text or call appropriately and avoid last-minute midnight invites to meet at a bar.
The 54-year-old also encouraged divorced women in their 40s to keep dating, saying they are still young and should keep having fun and living their lives.
Drawing on two past marriages—to Dennis Rodman in 1998 and Dave Navarro until 2007—Electra said she now prefers men to make the first move.
The interview ties back to her long Playboy history: she first posed for the magazine in 1996, returned in 1997, and has said the exposure helped lead to her "Baywatch" role.