Written by Michelle Kretzer
Update: April 8 at 1:30 p.m. ET: Although bebe acknowledged receipt of PETA's cease-and-desist letter and promised us a response, PETA has not received one and bebe continues to misrepresent itself to the public as a fur-free company. So PETA has filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) regarding the retailer's consumer deception. The bureau can now ask bebe to resolve PETA's grievance. It can also post our complaint to bebe's BBB webpage, which could negatively impact the company's BBB rating.
Originally posted on January 28 at 11:25 a.m. ET:
Faced with backlash from customers for selling real fur, bebe could have done the honorable thing and pulled it from its shelves. Instead, the company decided to lie.
As everyone knows, some customers won't shop for anything in a store that sells fur, just as they won't buy "pet" supplies in a store that sells animals. Even though bebe currently sells rabbit and chinchilla fur in some of its stores, on two separate occasions—one as recent as January 15—callers to bebe's customer service line were told that bebe doesn't sell fur. One caller recorded her conversation, which you can listen to here. PETA's attorneys have sent a cease-and-desist advisory to Steve Birkhold, bebe's CEO, letting him know that if bebe doesn't either start being honest with customers or actually stop selling real fur, PETA may take the company from the mall to the courthouse for engaging in false advertising, which is a violation of both state and federal laws.
It's no wonder that bebe wants to cover up the fact that it's selling real fur. In China, where bebe sources much of its fur, workers pull rabbits out of cages by their ears and stun the screaming animals with electrical devices. And in China as well as other countries, animals are bludgeoned to death, electrocuted, and often even skinned alive, as documented in this undercover footage.
As bebe is likely learning, few people are willing to patronize retailers that support such cruelty. Let bebe know that you are one of many potential customers who will refuse to buy its clothing until its shelves truly are fur-free.
Pro athletes don't do anything halfway. So studly New York Jets safety Bret Lockett wasn't content simply to pose with a strategically placed faux-leather football for his PETA anti-fur campaign. Instead, he decided to play spread offense and turn his ad unveiling into a whole weekend. First, he helped PETA dedicate our Norfolk, Virginia, headquarters to longtime supporter and Hollywood heavyweight Sam Simon.
Later that evening, Bret hosted an unveiling party at Hampton Roads hotspot the Granby Theater, greeted fans, and talked about why fur should be sidelined. "What really hurt me was when I saw that an animal was still able to move and lift [his] head up after he was completely skinned," he said. "It brought tears to my eyes."
© Charles Long Photography/PETA
And the next night, he went with the PETA gang to laugh aloud as Bill Maher made fun of hunters and other animal abusers in his stand-up performance. All weekend, wherever he went, Bret dined on vegan food, sported PETA T-shirts, and enthusiastically discussed animal rights issues with fans who approached him.
It's easy to see why No. 26 is No. 1 for animals.
When Amar'e Stoudemire shot his anti-fur ad for PETA, he said, "I wouldn't want to see anything cruel happen to any animals just for fashion." Now the New York Knicks' star forward is showing that he doesn't want to see anything cruel happen to animals just for food, either. Amar'e says his new vegetarian diet is helping him stay healthy after he had to have a third surgery on his knees.
Amar'e didn't go vegetarian in time to make Shape's list of the 25 Sexiest Vegan and Vegetarian Celebrities, but there's always next year. The mag did give a shout-out to PETA's reigning Sexiest Male Vegetarian Celebrity, Woody Harrelson, as well as our buds Mickey Madden, Casey Affleck, Russell Brand, Steve-O, and Mac Danzig.
Maybe Chicago's Rahm Emanuel will make Shape's list next year. "America's Fittest Mayor" is endorsing Rip Esselstyn's vegan Engine 2 Diet.
And these sexy stars made PETA's list of our favorite animal tweethearts:
To keep up with what all your favorite stars are doing for animals, follow @PETA on Twitter.
The ladies of the Lingerie Football League are part of the NFL (No Fur League), and they want to make sure that everyone gets drafted. The BC Angels are the latest team to join PETA's anti-fur campaign, asking Vancouver to "tackle cruelty: bench fur."
The gals had a ball tossing around the faux pigskin and talking to holiday shoppers about how fur is a personal foul.
And when a woman in a ridiculous fur hat got snippy with them, the classy lassies snapped right back, politely telling her that while they may choose to take a beating on the field, animals who are killed for their fur would definitely choose not to be beaten, electrocuted, or skinned alive.
Help intercept the cruel fur industry by telling bebe that you won't be buying until it takes fur out of the game.
If there's anything that can cause a traffic jam even by New York City standards, it's a naked Wendy Williams in Times Square. As a crowd of cheering fans and snapping flashbulbs drowned out the honking taxis, a fully clothed Wendy unveiled her much-anticipated nude anti-fur ad for PETA:
© StarMaxInc.com
The talk show host used to wear real fur made from foxes and minks but stopped after she learned from PETA how animals raised for their fur are electrocuted, bludgeoned, or skinned alive. Now, she knows that it's much better to bare skin than to wear skin. "I'd rather go naked than wear fur—it's very sexy," she purred during her photo shoot with top celeb photographer Aaron Cobbett.
Wendy hopes her actions will inspire other fur-wearers to shed their skin as well. And she already has the perfect idea for what they can do with those tacky, cruel coats: Donate them to PETA, and we will distribute them to people who are homeless because of Hurricane Sandy.
Helping people and animals—seems like the perfect reason for witty Wendy to get a little cheeky.
A lot has been happening this week at PETA: victories, anniversaries, and celebrations! We're after CareerBuilder, we stopped shipments of monkeys to laboratories, and we've done much more! Check out the latest news and victories:
What a busy week it's been in the PETAsphere! Just in case you missed any of the big news, we've got you covered. Follow us on Tumblr for future news about animal rights, vegan living, and where in the world the PETA campaigners are now.
With our new campaign on Facebook's "Causes" platform, we're aiming to raise $15,000 in January to fund anti-fur protests, distribute literature, buy ad space, and erect billboards to send the message that fur looks best on its original owners.
Despite the decreasing popularity of fur and the plethora of faux looks in stores this year, some backward designers are still trying to stage a resurgence of real fur. But as designers try to push the cruelest of fashions, we're pushing back.
PETA/Manfred Karreman
It's baffling how any clothier with a conscience could ignore the fact that this year alone, more than 2 million animals—including cats and dogs exactly like those we share our homes with—will be shoved into wire cages so tightly that they can't move and be trucked across China to be slaughtered. Some of them will be dead by the time they arrive. They are the lucky ones.
Those who survive will feel their bones break when workers throw the crates around like rag dolls. They may be beaten and stomped on. Or they may have the skin ripped off their bodies while they scream and thrash in pain.
You can help stop this cruelty by joining our "Causes" campaign and sharing it on your social-networking sites. And please consider making a lifesaving donation today to help end the fur trade.
Thanks to the new PETA mobile emblazoned with Waka Flocka Flame's anti-fur ad, the people in our D.C. office won't need to waka anywhere. Instead, they can flocka together in the car and spread an animal-friendly message wherever they drive.
The other side of the car shows actor Jenna Dewan Tatum's exotic-skins ad.
If you have a general question for PETA and would like a response, please e-mail Info@peta.org. If you need to report cruelty to an animal, please click here. If you are reporting an animal in imminent danger and know where to find the animal and if the abuse is taking place right now, please call your local police department. If the police are unresponsive, please call PETA immediately at 757-622-7382 and press 2.
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