prada and pearls

It seems like most of the comics I know personally are women of a certain age who riff on their own privileged status. Oddly, two of them have worked at Life magazine. One is Jenny Allen, who took her comedy act to Stand Up NY last night. She starts out tweaking Martha Stewart: "This shirt was made by prisoners," she says earnestly. "These pants were made by prisoners." She pokes fun at hairdressers, Brooks Brothers, husbands (her own happens to be Jules Feiffer)—and, not least, herself. The funniest shtik is when she imitates Ellen Barkin being able to stomach sex with Ronald Perleman only by concentrating on a Prada fur coat, some gumball-sized pearls and the cabochon emerald she craves.
Of course, this bit is less funny if you believe the domestic-violence rumors murmured by ex-wives and witnesses of Barkin's battered appearance at school functions.
But funny/sad can be pretty close. As exhibit B there's the Pepsi-drinking investment banker who has a blog called blissful ignorance. As much as I may disagree with his politics, I cannot but admire his dogged attempts to learn to ski and to overcome his distaste for people in his "social anxiety group." Laugh/cry? Both. He seems to make entries mostly on weekends, so I'm waiting to hear if he's graduated from the rope tow yet.