Written by PETA
Most fashion trends don't last beyond a season, but here's one ancient trend that's still en vogue: shunning leather for Yom Kippur. Of course, on the Jewish Day of Atonement, it would be tough to expiate while wrapped in the skin of an animal who had his or her throat cut and was possibly skinned and dismembered while still conscious. But PETA's shocking undercover video shows why wearing leather is never kosher.
We can all be benevolent to bovines every day of the year with drop-dead-gorgeous faux-leather clothes and accessories that no one had to drop dead for.
Written by Michelle Sherrow
The following is a guest post from PETA Prime's Steve Martindale.
Cats, dogs, raccoon dogs, rabbits, and other animals are skinned alive in China for their fur. This fur is exported to consumers in the U.S. and abroad and often dyed to look like the fur of other animals. It's sometimes even deliberately mislabeled as synthetic! More than half the fur garments sold in the U.S. are imported from China, where more than 2 million cats and hundreds of thousands of dogs each year suffer through a miserable life and an excruciatingly painful death as victims of the fur trade. While other sources of fur are unconscionably cruel as well, few do as much as the slaughter of dogs and cats to shake consumers out of complacency.
The cultural and economic inertia driving the Chinese fur trade is daunting—but with your help, we can slow down this juggernaut through dedicated efforts to educate consumers about the true price of fur. We do see glimmers of hope, and you and I can take action right now in many ways. Our new Web site is helping to raise awareness about the cruelty involved in the bloody fur industry.
Who was most surprised to hear reports that Russell Brand was supposedly sporting snakeskin boots at the Vanity Fair Oscar party? Russell Brand himself.
No one who's familiar with the raucously clever comic—who is a longtime vegetarian and has spoken out for animals on numerous occasions—could believe that he would support the live skinning of snakes. So PETA U.K. went straight to the source and asked Russell whether or not his footwear was really snakeskin. He immediately changed our WTF to FTW by assuring everyone that his alleged faux pas was really fab faux: "They're fake. Specially made, don't panic. I also won 'sexiest smoker' this week in spite of not smoking."
Phew! Now we can trash that "Are your cigarettes cruelty-free?" letter (kidding).
Written by Logan Scherer
"It's the triumph of fake fur … because fake fur changed so much and became so great now that you can hardly see a difference."—Karl Lagerfeld on his show at Paris Fashion Week
In a recent interview with the Telegraph, notorious fur pimp Karl Lagerfeld, the head designer and creative director for Chanel, spills about the triumph of fake fur. Lagerfeld's remarks have us hoping that it's the beginning of a new era for his fashion line. My favorite sound bite? "You cannot fake chic, but you can be chic in fake fur."
Before there was Gaga, Eva, or Natalie, there was Twiggy. From her groundbreaking debut in the '60s to her insightful (and compassionate) presence on America's Next Top Model, Twiggy is always in style—so it's no surprise that the eternally vogue icon shuns fur. Elegant and wise, Twiggy knows that faux is forever trendy, which is why she and a rescue pooch named Jasmine posed in this adorable new ad from PETA U.K.:
There is no difference between companion animals and those who are tormented and killed on fur farms. Dogs are among the many animals—including cats, rabbits, foxes, and minks—who are starved and left in extremely crowded wire cages to suffer the blazing summer heat and the unbearable winter cold. After miserable lives filled with neglect and abuse, animals on fur farms are slammed to the ground or electrocuted in an effort to kill them. Those attempts often fail, and then the animals suffer the agony of having the skin stripped from their bodies while they are still able to feel pain. Follow Twiggy's timelessly humane lead and take our pledge to go fur-free.
We're going to need another tu to describe how adorable our tutu-cute dancing raccoon and fox were as they pliéd and pirouetted their ways into the hearts of balletgoers in Philadelphia:
Joined by local PETA supporters, our furry friends urged Nutcracker attendees and the many delighted onlookers to shun fur and go faux this holiday season. And the lucky kids who passed by got awesome anti-fur stickers.
A classic ballet and a timeless message—it's the perfect match. Bust out your classy moves for a compassionate cause by bringing our Tutu Cruel Campaign to a Nutcracker performance near you.
What do you get when you combine our favorite hockey player with one of our favorite faux-chicken sandwiches?
Hat trick! Georges Laraque was so impressed by a Canadian KFC's vegan sandwich, he ordered two more to go.
While there is one major animal offense that keeps Canada in the penalty box, KFCs in Canada offer an awesome vegan sandwich—and they are also making efforts to phase in controlled-atmosphere killing. Partner that with Georges Laraque's insatiable hunger for animal liberation and I'd say you have one of the sweetest assists Canada's seen in some time.
Written by Shawna Flavell
When it comes to being an animal lover, Kellie Pickler is the real deal—she only wears fake fur. Eagle-eyed viewers of Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve spotted the "Best Days of Your Life" singer in what appeared to be a fur coat. But Kellie's publicist just confirmed what we suspected—that the coat was from PETA's favorite furrier: Cincinnati-based Donna Salyers' Fabulous Furs, which makes the most luxurious faux furs available.
"One night I couldn't sleep, and I was up and just Googling random stuff, and I'm like, 'Hmmm, PETA,'" said Kellie in an interview with People magazine last fall. "I saw all the videos, and I just thought it was horrible. It's animal cruelty. A lot of it has to do with knowing what happens to the animals, and it really bothered me, and so I will not eat meat." Pickler says that she shared her decision to go vegetarian with close friend and PETA "Sexiest Vegetarian" Carrie Underwood right away. She said, "I texted Carrie and was like, 'You're never going to believe this!'" PETA hopes that Nashville's newest vegetarian (in addition to Underwood, Shania Twain and Emmylou Harris also eschew meat) will pose for one of its iconic ad campaigns this year.
Written by Michael McGraw
Our friends at ecorazzi have pointed out one of the coolest auctions going on at eBay right now—the auction to win those ridiculous (in an awesome way) faux-fur boots that Stephen Colbert wore in his Christmas special.
That's right—the next time you find yourself in your log cabin, hiding from a bear and singing a duet with Willie Nelson, you can be doing so in classic Colbert style! Stephen apparently claims that the boots are made of yeti fur—and fur from make-believe animals is the kind that I like best.
The auction ends tomorrow, so act now! The costume pieces worn in "A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All" are being auctioned off one at a time, and all of the proceeds are going to Feeding America. Pretty sweet, right?
Of course, the auction has already raised more than $1,000, so if you don't have an extra $1.5K to shell out on some memorabilia but still want to look snazzy, you might consider these vegan faux-fur boots from MooShoes. Um, holiday wish list, anyone?
Written by Amanda Schinke
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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