One of my favorite things to do is go to Borders and read magazines. I did just that last night with my sister. I grabbed the March 2009 issue of Marie Claire to look through.I came across a short article called "An Upside to the Downturn".
Born-again penny pinchers are suddenly discovering the pleasures of thrift and waxing about it with near-religious fervor.This Jocelin chick couldn't sound more vapid and shallow if she tried. Thanks to the economy, Jocelin's husband and friends now become a top priority -- over cocktails.
"Because of the recession, I'm forced to pay attention to the things that really matter," says Jocelin Engel, a 28-year-old consultant in New York City. Instead of "carelessly wasting money running around town for overpriced cocktails," she's now spending time with her husband, cooking dinner with friends, watching movies at home, enjoying the people who mean the most to her.
The most horrifying part of this whole article, though, is the fact that literally on the next page was a photo of three one-legged women in bathing suits and Miss America-esque sashes. They were three Angolan women who had won the Miss Landmine Angola 2008. The mini article was titled "Eye on the World: Standing Tall".
While American women are learning to deal without their $19 flirtinis because of a bum economy, women in Africa are losing their legs due to landmines. If that doesn't put America's materialism and lack of empathy I don't know what is. Shame on Marie Claire for even considering that these stories run side-by-side in their magazine.
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