It wasn't so long ago that Michelle Pfeiffer made us wish we looked that good in black PVC as the original Cat Woman in Batman. In the years after The Witches Of Eastwick, Dangerous Liaisons and The Fabulous Baker Boys, the actress put the silver screen behind her to concentrate on raising her kids.
Now the 53 year old is back, starring alongside Johnny Depp in upcoming film Dark Shadows. But she has regrets for her hapless teenaged self who used to work at a check-out before she won a pageant and bagged an agent.
"I wish I had known at 18 the importance of education," said Pfeiffer. "Looking back, I wish I had paid more attention — and I also regret that I did not have teachers who were more interested in me. When I became a mother, I realized I had not taken enough advantage of my education and came to appreciate how important it really is."
The actress then struggled with fame and her sexualized persona. The lowest moment came when she learned that via a radio show her then-husband, TV producer David E. Kelley had left her for Ally McBeal actress Calista Flockhart, while her whole family was in the car!
But the biggest turning point for Pfeiffer was becoming a mother. "If you had told me when I was 18 that I could survive on three hours' sleep a night, I'd have never believed it. You just cope."
When it came to her own children, now 18 and 17, she advised anything a career in anything but showbusiness.
"I would say: 'Be a doctor, or something else'. The value of a good education has never left me."
Do agree with Pfeiffer's statements about motherhood? Can moms really survive on three hours' sleep?
Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. Take the five-year-old girl who was just one of 400 children to receive assistance from the UK's Forced Marriage task force last year.
The head of the unit, Amy Cumming said 29 per cent of its cases involved minors, the youngest of whom was just five years old.
Sadly, according to the Iranian and Kurdish Women's Rights Organization, child marriages are not uncommon, with more than 100 cases identified in a year. Most are in their early teens, 11 or 12 years old.
But the latest shocker comes as the UK government considers whether to make forced marriage a crime.
"Our organisation is pro-criminalisation because we believe that it will empower victims to know that this is a crime, to stand up to their parents and to stand up for their own rights and it will enable them to come forward and seek help and say, 'What's happening to me is wrong,'" said Women's Rights Organization spokeswoman Fionnuala Murphy.
Although Forced Marriage Protection Orders were introduced in 2008 under the Forced Marriage (Civil Protection) Act 2007, last year the unit dealt with around 1,500 cases, with many more thought to go unreported.
Friends, victims, and police can bring about the court orders to protect an individual from forced marriage. However, the penalty for breaching the order only results in a civil offence, with a maximum two-year jail term.
"Forced marriage is little more than slavery," said PM David Cameron. "To force someone into marriage is completely wrong and I strongly believe this is a problem we should not shy away from addressing because of some cultural concerns."
The decision is expected later this year.
Is forced marriage tantamount to child abuse? Should it be criminalized?
Mexx has recalled the following young girls sweaters, as the fabric balls sewn on the sweater may detach, posing a choking hazard to young children:
Style K1RC8252 in various colours from sizes 3-30 months with SKUs 4216510-60, 3435210-60, 3435310-60. (The SKU is listed on the store receipt and the style number on the labels inside the sweater.)
While neither Mexx nor Health Canada has received any reports of incidents or injuries related to the use of these sweaters, customers are advised to immediately stop using the recalled sweaters. Customers can remove and safely dispose of the fabric balls or return the sweater to Mexx with a proof of purchase for a full refund.
For more information, customers may contact Mexx at 1-800-565-6399, visit the company's website or inquire at any Mexx Canada store.
Between August 2011 to February 2012, approximately 2,268 of the recalled sweaters in sizes 3-30 months were sold in Canada.
Printer-friendly version