French ELLE Feature

Bonjour Madames, Mademoiselles and Monsieurs,

Red Carpet Recessionista has been featured in August edition of French ELLE! I am trés trés excited about this and I want to share with everyone. Since the only other language I speak is Spanish, I had my brilliant team of French translators decode the article. Merci bocoup to SGS, Sarah B, James, Mich, Brittany and Eduardo.

"No Job, But Full of Ideas" by Emmanuelle Dasque

Like a number of others, they have lost their employment. But these plugged-in/connected 30 somethings are taking advantage, changing their lives and starting up again. From San Fran to New York, portraits of those who refuse the unemployment blues.

'Funemployment? the expression, born on the west coast last winter, has spread in a few months on the internet. Since, it is everywhere: on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, and, above all, on the blogs of young unemployed who have established their new status in the art of hedonist living...."

In New York, Annalise Ghiz, fashionista who worked in fashion doesn't hesitate to tell us that “funemployment is the new cool thing. After having thought that my life crumbling around me, I realized: at what other moment in my life could I take advantage of New York like this – single and with free time?” As a result, she has become an expert in low cost activities (restaurants, reduced priced spas, free museums) and in outdoor walks.

For this young tribe, previously employed in the industry of the Net, fashion, marketing, banking, the economic reality is of course milder than the unemployment numerous American families are going through who have lost their house, in debt, and without resources. These funemployed of 20-30 years old live (for the moment) on their savings, temporarily on aide from the state [welfare] (equivalent to about 280 euros/week) and benefit sometimes from financial support from their parents, when they've not moved back in to the family cocoon/nest. Generation Y (born after 1980) is experiencing the most violent economic crisis since the 30s and feel completely disorientated, from whence the invention of the term and the state of spirit of steel to acclimate oneself to this period and to confront it, analyzes David Logan, USC professor. Above all, Generation Y uses the internet for escape. This movement has given rise to a tribe of cyber-unemployed: they communicate amongst themselves, organize collective vacations and soirées, exchange career plans and advice, with the only common denominator the fact that their unemployed.

In American society, run by the values of work and success, where vacations are almost an extravagance (hardly 2 weeks/year), to be without a job is usually perceived as a stigma. "And yet, this time, a lot of people are in this situation," remarks Linda Stone, professor at NYU. "There is no longer a stigma, but the feeling of belonging to a stuck in the mud community in the same fix." For this career change expert, and for whom the number of students has almost doubled lately, the emergence of "funemployment" is very symptomatic: "they finally have the chance to reflect on the way they wish to lead their lives. We have always told them that they should succeed at any price and at times in fields they didn't have a passion for. In work, they gave their all, ultimately, for losing. They tell themselves that it is time to take their lives in their own hands.

How will this generation reintegrate itself into the working world after such an interlude? Ultra-resourceful, this generation also has put in place a system D [survival guide?/something to do with operating systems?] to live with little means.

In the cities like San Francisco and NY, numerous places convey this philosophy: courses in "funemployment", yoga, beauty sessions, and free spas for the unemployed. For David Logan, the real challenge lies with the big businesses: "once the crises passes, it will be on them to create a better work environment to seduce these youths who are more confident and currently enjoy independence and a liberty of unedited spirit."

(I'm working on getting the images to work with text)