Deep down we're still materialistic and bitchy, says Lord & Taylor

The recession was supposed to make us all stop focusing on material things and appreciate what's really important, like family, our health and friends. But judging by this ad from retailer Lord & Taylor, some of us still haven't gotten the message. In what may be the bitchiest ad ever, a gorgeous woman is shown sauntering by in a skin-tight red dress as her friend looks on with what looks like contempt. "This dress will make your friends insanely jealous, which you have to admit, is pretty much the goal," reads the copy on the print and online ad. Well, if that's the goal, why bother buying a dress? Just sleep with your friend's husband. Of course, one way to interpret this ad is that the recession may be coming to a close and materialism is back, baby! That family and friends stuff was boring anyway.

—Posted by Todd Wasserman