Divorce fair in Paris: Get a lawyer and a makeover
PARIS -- The city of romance got a lesson in love's hard knocks Sunday, as thousands flocked to the French capital's first divorce fair.
In France, nearly one out of two marriages ends in divorce, according to the country's National Institute of Demographic Studies. More than 130,000 divorces were registered in 2007, compared with just 50,000 three decades ago.
The "New Start" trade fair aimed to tap into that booming market by bringing together 60 stands offering up services obviously related to separation -- law firms and counselors -- and also more obscure disciplines aimed at helping people get back on their feet, like tarot card readers, makeover specialists and self-esteem coaches.
Conferences held throughout the two-day-long fair included talks entitled "Plastic surgery's role in re-conquering your image" and "How to re-seduce your partner using the Gestalt method," as well as "Meeting on the Web" and "Separation: What does a lawyer do?"
The fair's organizer, Brigitte Gaumet, said she had the idea after President Nicolas Sarkozy divorced his second wife months after taking office in 2007.
"For me, that crystallized that divorce has lost its stigma and is really a commonplace thing," Gaumet said. "Lots of people going through divorces -- and also people getting separated or who are widowed -- are looking for information on how to bounce back and how to reconstruct." AP