Written by PETA
Attention, ladies. Now you, too, can cause your neighbors to phone in Big Foot sightings. You, too, can look like the frightening "before" picture on an infomercial for Epilady. And you, too, can look like you are trying to kidnap the cast of Cats.
How? It's fall fashion season, and mixed in with some lovely new styles (such as Stella McCartney's color-block sheath dress that celebs are loving) are flops that make it seem like designers have been hitting the sauce a lot harder than they've been hitting the sketch pad. One design that is particularly puzzling is this epic fail: jackets with fur sleeves.
Of course! Women want their arms to look fat and hairy. Why didn't we think of that? But seriously, if you do favor a furry look, go with faux, like fauxier to the stars Donna Salyers' Fabulous-Furs, so that you'll avoid killing more animals than the entire Cullen clan.
Written by Michelle Sherrow
What do cows, snakes, and foxes all agree on? That they would prefer to keep their skin right where it is, thank you very much. All three species (represented by body-painted PETA members) joined forces in Knoxville, Tennessee, to ask people to wear their own skin, not animals'.
The "animals" grabbed a lot of attention from people coming and going from the surrounding offices, and many people took home leaflets about animals killed for their skins. Even the local police couldn't get enough of the models, assuring them that they would "keep an eye on things." They certainly did—with huge smiles on their faces!
Jennifer Lopez is one American who gets no idol worship from anyone who cares about animals. The diva has once again shown that her beauty is only skin deep by posing in a coat made from the skins of arctic foxes in the September issue of Vanity Fair.
When asked what he thought of J-Lo's coat of many cruelties, PETA Senior Vice President Dan Mathews had this to say:
People who wear fur are either ignorant or arrogant. Because we have sent Jennifer Lopez videos showing how foxes on fur farms go insane from confinement to tiny cages, suffer from broken and exposed bones, and are killed by anal electrocution, J-Lo is situated firmly in the arrogant camp. Maybe the real story behind their breakup is that Marc Anthony left because he couldn't stand looking into her morgue of a closet.
Of the split, Lopez told Vanity Fair, "Sometimes we don't realize that we are compromising ourselves." Would now be one of those times, J-Lo?
Pamela Anderson was as perplexed as we were to learn that despite Denmark's recent ban on cruel fox-fur farms, some in the country's royal family still wear fur. Perhaps the Queen is harking back to her girlhood, when fur was integral to the royal robes, but since she enjoys all the other trappings of a modern life, it’s time to lay cruel stodgy fashions to rest. Pam penned a letter to Queen Margrethe II explaining that all fur means animal suffering:
Undercover investigations into fur farms have shown cruelty to animals across the board, from Denmark to the United States. Most fur comes from China, where animals—including dogs and cats—are bludgeoned and even skinned alive for their fur, as seen in this short video. Minister Eva Kjer Hansen of Denmark stated, 'Mink breeders break animal welfare rules. And that is unacceptable.' Animals trapped in the wild are no better off: Many suffer for hours and even chew off their own limbs to escape.
Hopefully, Queen Margrethe II will join the scores of leading ladies, including Michelle Obama and Carla Bruni, who refuse to wear fur. Until she does, we have a feeling she hasn't heard the last from Pam.
Sheep may safely graze, but foxes are out of luck at an abysmal fur farm in Joliet, Illinois, that's run by, of all people, a Catholic priest. PETA recently filed a complaint with law-enforcement authorities regarding the fox fur farm, which is operated by the Rev. Richard Ross of St. Bernard Catholic Church in Joliet. While the agencies promptly launched an investigation, they were unable to take action against Ross because the conditions on this farm, while appalling, are not illegal.
The foxes are confined to cramped, rusty wire cages—with little protection from heat, rain, and snow—until the day they are slaughtered and skinned. Cages may contain up to seven foxes apiece, and one fox was caught on video spinning in circles—a classic symptom of "zoochosis," or captivity-induced madness. As PETA researcher Dan Paden pointed out in a letter to Ross, even if such conditions do not violate Illinois law, they surely violate the church's instructions to have "a religious respect for the integrity of creation."
What kind of Christian—let alone a man of the cloth—would treat God's creatures this way? The kind of man who would say (after his brother—who is also a priest—was accused of molesting a young boy), "I don't have much sympathy for people who somehow couldn't stop whatever happened. I'll take all of these people who were abused, and I'll abuse them with a baseball bat."
After seeing how the Rev. Ross treats foxes, we believe him.
Please politely send your comments to:Rev. Richard Ross(815) 726-4474 St. Bernard Catholic Church1313 Ridgewood Ave Joliet, IL 60432-2698
Written by Alisa Mullins
The temperature may have been well below freezing, but PETA's foxes heated up the bustling streets of Helsinki, the capital of Finland—which has a record of killing more foxes for their fur than almost any other nation. Thanks to Riina Laine's masterful body painting, these ladies were the objects of nonstop attention—and they spread the message that only animals should wear fur.
The easiest—and chicest—way to save a fox (and a dog and a cat and a mink and a—yeah, you get the picture) is to pledge to go fur-free forever.
Written by Logan Scherer
Did you hear that? It was the collective sigh of relief from raccoons, foxes, and minks—as well as human fur foes everywhere. It turns out that France's first lady and international style icon Carla Bruni-Sarkozy refuses to wear fur.
PETA Vice President Dan Mathews contacted Bruni-Sarkozy after seeing photos that showed her wearing what appeared to be real fur. She wrote back, "I do not wear, buy, or own fur …. Every designer who kindly lends me clothes for public appearances can tell you that I do not accept … fur pieces, even when they're only a small part of the outfit."
The first lady—who admitted to wearing fur during her modeling heyday—also made it clear that if the photos are recent, the fur is fake.
"By officially rejecting fur in the fashion capital of the world, this political and style idol will make people everywhere think about how old-fashioned and cruel it is," said Dan in a statement issued to the media.
With some free shoes from Stella McCartney, courtesy of PETA, on the way to Carla's doorstep, we're hoping she will swear off leather for good too.
Written by Karin Bennett
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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