Harper’s Bazaar feature on Kim Simplis-Barrow criticized
Yolanda Rodriguez
Kim Simplis-Barrow is featured prominently in a recent publication of Harper Bazaar’s Interior Magazine, a spread which reportedly costs over a hundred thousand dollars. The fashion and lifestyle periodical has a subscription of primarily Middle Eastern readers and it is arguable that the audience is not comprised of visitors to Belize. The costly feature has been the subject of much criticism from the People’s United Party and today outspoken party stalwart Yolanda Rodriguez took aim at Simplis-Barrow and the thousands spent from the public purse.
Yolanda Rodriguez, Member, People’s United Party
“We the women of the People’s United Party continue to voice our concern about the lack of accounting on spending of taxpayers’ money on their women’s rally for the march and also on the spending of Belize Tourism Board which is taxpayers’ money in which Mrs. Kim Simplis-Barrow made a spread in Harper’s Bazaar Interiors Magazine. We believe that these activities under her office as Special Envoy for Women and Children do nothing, absolutely nothing about the serious situation that our women and children face every day in Belize and, in fact, it demonstrates that the Special Envoy is greatly, and I mean greatly, detached from the reality, from the harsh reality that most of the women and children and families in this country are suffering today. Our information is that the rally only attracted three thousand, you know, deh mih seh dehn wahn twenty. Dehn only get three thousand and what was the budget for that? Two hundred and seventy thousand dollars of our taxpayers’ money. Think about it, what that could have done for our women and children for education. In addition, we have heard of over a hundred thousand dollars, money that was taken from the Belize Tourist Board to fund the vanity, that’s what I call it ladies and gentlemen, vanity that went into the Harper Bazaar’s Interior Magazine and, by the way, only ten thousand copies of this magazine is done and you know where it goes? To the Middle East. It doesn’t even reach the people that come here for tourism.”
The actual figure spent on the magazine spread, according to the B.T.B., is said to be considerably lower.
Please don’t encourage tourism from the Islamofascist states. If they take over this country the executions will be running 24/7 beginning at GOB.
Yolanda – it ever occur to you dat di magazine di attract skanky middle east men to come to belize to tek advantage of di pretty women. Kim pretty and di message them use di silly woman to send is come with unu money to buy passports and traffic we women and children.
IF PUP want to fight agains the government they are going about it the wrong way
Everybody i know loves Belize’s First Lady Kim Simplis-Barrow and i say the ads and she looks stunning and extremely beautiful
Keep up the good work Kim
I love we First Lady of Belize she is elegant sweet and charming but PLEASE TOURISTS DONT BE FOOLED IN BELIZE THEY RAPE, KILL AND ROB.
This is just stupid. Think out of the box, people! So what if the readers are from the Middle East? Have you ever thought that maybe we need to reach out to other regions? There are people with money in the Middle East who travel. Tap into neglected markets. Nothing wrong with that. AND, lots of resorts sponsored Kim, I’m sure. I think this was more an expense to resorts than tax payers’ money.
REALLY NOW, I CAN AGREE THAT THEY WENT OUT OF THE WAY TO MAKE MISS BARROW LOOK GOOD IN THE MAGAZINE(SHE NEEDED IT) BUT IF THE RUMORED PRICE OF THIS PHOTOSHOOT AND SHIPPING LOCATION IS CORRECT, i BELIEVE THAT IT IS NOT ONLY RIDICULOUS, BUT VERY BOLD OF WHOSOEVER ORGANIZED IT, TO HAVE HIGHLIGHTED IT TO THE POINT THAT WE ARE HERE READING A HEADLINE THAT SOUNDS LIKE SOMETHING OFF OF THE E! ENTERTAINMENT CHANNEL.. THE ECONOMIC STATE OF OUR COUNTRY IS NO WAY STABLE ENOUGH TO SUPPORT THESE KIND OF EXTRAVAGANT AND IRRELEVANT SO CALLED “PROMOTIONS”, WHILE WE POOR BELIZEANS ARE HERE LIVING ON RAMEN NOODLES AND NASTY CHINESE FRIED CHICKEN DIET, THEY ARE FEASTING ON DISHES, WHICH NAMES THE AVERAGE BELIZEAN COULDNT EVEN PRONOUNCE, BUT, THEN AGAIN,WHAT DO WE KNOW? WE ARE NO WHERE AS EDUCATED AND INTELLIGENT AS THE PM OR HIS VERY EXPENSIVE WIFE, RIGHT? BUT YET WE MUST BELIEVE THAT THESE BIG TIME MAGAZINE SHOOTS (PROMOTIONS) ARE DONE TO “HELP” US. YOU WANT TO PROMOTE BELIZE? START HELPING US IN WAYS OTHER THAN STEALING OUR MONEY AND CALL IN GOVERNING. THANKS. AND IF NOT, PPL NEED TO HUSH UP AND CONTINUE ALLOWING THEM TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YOU. CAUSE NONE OF YOUR COMPLAINING SEEMS TO BE WORKING ANYWAY