May
30
2012

Quick Getaways at the Divorce Hotel

Cheap and not so Cheerful

Quick Getaways at the Divorce Hotel

When most of us think of weekend getaways, ordering room service, all cozied up next to our partner, we tend to think of the good times. But a Dutch entrepreneur says the mini-break is equally suited to couples on the rocks. 

Thus, 33-year-old Jim Halfens created Divorce Hotel, a venue where splitting couples share a suite and spend a few days hashing out the particulars of their impending divorce "in a more or less civil way by independent lawyers and mediators."

So far only 17 couples have booked a stay at the Divorce Hotel, with one couple leaving without the breakup done and dusted. Although Halfens is keen to take his brainchild overseas, to both Los Angeles and New York, it remains to be seen whether the gimmick is effective. 

No doubt Divorce Hotel has all the makings of a rom com with a twist, and at least a reality show or two (already in the works, of course), time will tell whether the idea will fly as a business model. 

First off, how many couples on the brink of divorce could handle being locked in a room together on holiday? Second: how many couples risk rekindling while away from the stresses and strains of their daily lives? Third: many divorce proceedings can't be neatly wrapped up in a single weekend, especially where child custody is involved. 

No doubt the divorce industry is booming, costing couples an estimated $50 to $175 billion a year. On average, divorces in the U.S. cost between $5,000 and $20,000, so the Divorce Hotel may offer a competitive flat rate, at between $3,000 and $10,000 for a weekend stay. 

Needless to say, execs are psyched about the concept which has all the makings of great reality TV. "It has all of the human drama of this significant process all condensed down into a very short period of time," says Mickey Stern, co-chief executive for Base Productions.

You tell me: is Divorce Hotel sick or savvy? Would you watch?

 
May
29
2012

Woman Marries... Herself

A Lifelong Love Affair with my Beautiful Self

Woman Marries... Herself

Tired of hanging on for Mr. Right? You need wait no longer. Your perfect partner is... Well, you. 

Bringing new meaning to the idea of self-love, 36-year-old single mom exchanged vows with herself in a commitment ceremony. Tired of waiting for Mr. Right to sweep her off her feet, she tied the knot with her inner groom, exchanging rings and all. 

In front of 40 of her nearest and dearest, Nadine Schweigert from Fargo, North Dakota, declared that “I, Nadine, promise to enjoy inhabiting my own life and to relish a lifelong love affair with my beautiful self.” In what sounds like rhetoric straight from the pages of a self-help guide, Schweigert told Anderson Cooper (whose expression is priceless), while gesturing to her chest, "that love I need? It's in here. No one else can give it to me." 
 
Sure, there's nothing wrong with being single and happy. Sure, self-respect and self-esteem are crucial to personal wellbeing and happiness, and we shouldn't rely on another person to complete us. But Schweigert takes the whole concept one fruit loop further by holding solo date nights in which she refers to "her wife."
 
Only in America? Crackpot or congratulations?
 
 

 

May
29
2012

Trade Sex for a Better Bikini Bod?

Fear and Loathing in the Sun

Trade Sex for a Better Bikini Bod?

Ah, summer. Like most women, you probably have a love-hate relationship with the red-hot days ahead. 

Summer, for one, means stripping down and coming face to face with the layers you've kept under wraps for the past six months. Then there's the endless mutiny of magazine tips on getting the perfect beach-worthy body and sun-kissed skin. 

To salt the wound, SHAPE magazine and FitSugar surveyed women to see what we really think about swimsuit this season. The sad truth: 68 percent of those polled would swap sex for a month in exchange for the perfect bikini body. Most also embark on a diet in anticipation of baring almost all. 

Not surprisingly, almost half would remove a Facebook tag or ask their friend to take down a photo of them in beach wear, with the same amount loathing their abs, and 29 percent claiming to revile their thighs. The silver lining: almost half of women loved their strong arms, legs and beach bum!

Do you feel insecure in a bathing suit? Would you, like the majority of women in the survey, forego sex for a month if it meant having a bootylicious beach body?