Cameron Diaz’s ‘Bag’ Hurts Peru’s Sentiments

While some stars bruise their image through “fashion suicide,” Cameron Diaz found a way to commit a “fashion massacre” in the eyes of the people of Peru.

On a recent trip to one of the wonders of the world, the Incan temple of Machu Pichu, the star of ‘Shrek 3’ carried what seemed to be a harmless green messenger bag.

Diaz’s bag evoked painful memories of the Peruvian people being terrorized by the Maoist Shining Path insurgency which began in 1980 and ended in the early 1990s. The movement was lead by Jose Carlos Mariategui and attacked all aspects of Peruvian society, from the lowly peasants all the way up to the popularly elected officials.

Over this short period nearly 70,000 Peruvian people were slaughtered by means of torture, assassination, and bombings by the communist regime.

Diaz opened a scar that had just begun to heal in the minds of the people of Peru, without even knowing it.

Pablo Rojas, a well-rounded and influential human rights activist in Peru felt compelled to speak with Contactmusic. Rojas said, “It alludes to a concept that did so much damage to Peru that brought about so many victims. I don’t think she should have used that bag where the followers of that ideology did so much damage.”

Who ever thought such a cheap bag could evoke such rich emotion? The funny thing is, Miss Diaz probably thought it was just a cute bag to carry stuff in.

Oops Cameron, maybe next time you should just carry a ‘Camelpack’ up the mountain…but preferably not one with a communist slogan front-running the seams.

Enjoy the pictures of Cameron with her Maoist bag in Peru (June 21).