Erika Jayne on Why Men Are “Afraid” of Her, Aspen ‘Hell’
Credit: Jen Lowery / MEGA
Erika Jayne faced some challenges as she’s gotten back into the dating pool following the demise of her decades-long marriage to Thomas Girardi.
During a couple of new interviews, the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills cast member opened up about her new life as a single woman, looked back on the cast’s dramatic trip to Aspen, and shared how her makeup artist reacted to her infamous mascara tears of season 11.
“It’s hard because I don’t think people really know what to expect. And I can’t get on an app. What if [serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer] shows up?” Erika noted of dating on the June 22 episode of E! News‘ ]Daily Pop, also saying she’s “really socially awkward.”
“I say exactly how I feel, and I realize that men don’t like that. They say they want a woman that’s forward, but they really don’t,” she explained. “They actually told me, ‘I’m afraid of you.’ And I was like, ‘Why? I’m modern. I thought I was doing what women are supposed to do, which is speak your mind and say what you like,’ and no.”
Despite her challenges, Erika is happy to be getting a fresh start amid her messy split and ongoing legal drama with Thomas, much of which has played out on RHOBH.
“I’ve had a chance to completely start over and be free from an over 20-year marriage and almost wipe the whole slate clean in a way,” she shared. “It’s my life to rebuild, so, in that way, it’s a lot of opportunity, but it’s scary at the same time. So, that’s when I say ‘no,’ it’s scary and I don’t really know what I’m doing. I’m just out here trying to make it happen.”
After being the target of her castmates’ gossip throughout season 11 and much of season 12, Erika decided that she too would dig into the lives of her co-stars.
“I’m actually overdoing it,” she admitted, “and I feel good about it.”
As Erika coasts through the season, she knows fans have a lot to look forward to once the ladies’ trip to Aspen begins airing.
“You know how seasons kind of wax and wane?” Erika asked. “This one really gets turned up at the end. And I think we all know what we’re talking about. That trip to Aspen was hell. I mean, I have my own personal—everybody has a story, I’m just gonna say that. It was rough.”
In a separate interview, Erika looked back on the moment in which she broke down to co-star Kyle Richards about her marriage with mascara tears streaming down her face, noting that her decision to put on non-waterproof mascara was a total “fluke.”
“My makeup artist was not happy,” Erika shared with Bravo Insider in May. “And don’t think that was a setup. That was horrible. I usually wear waterproof mascara… I was like f-ck.”
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills season 12 airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on Bravo.
