Is divorce cool?

"I'm a free bitch, baby!"

Sound familiar? If so, you've probably watched one too many episodes in the "Real Housewives" franchise, when cast members often flaunt bling and announce their freedom in a divorce's aftermath.

But wait.

This NY Times article says divorce has lost its "cachet." An excerpt:

The experience of being a divorced woman has changed, along with the statistics. “The No. 1 reaction I get from people when I tell them I’m getting divorced is, ‘You’re so brave,’ ” said Stephanie Dolgoff, a 44-year-old mother of two elementary-school daughters who was separated last year.

“In the 1970s, when a woman got divorced, she was seen as taking back her life in that Me Decade way. Nowadays, it’s not seen as liberating to divorce. It’s scary.”

I've never bought into a tendency to only equate divorce with freedom. I think that when people go that route, they're often masking other emotions.

What do you think? How has your impression of divorce changed or evolved?