Written by PETA
Even through-the-roof mercury levels couldn't stop our mootivated herd of cows from descending on the Sands Expo Center in Las Vegas to demand their skins back.
Folks attending the shoe convention inside became curious when they heard the musical stylings of lead bovine Meggan Anderson on the cowbell and came out to snap pictures of the cows hoofing it up and down the sidewalk. After reading their signs about how leather hurts cows, people had great reactions, including one man who said that he was going to share the photo of our "cows" on Facebook and tell his friends to boycott leather.
The cows replied, "Amoon."
Written by Michelle Sherrow
When our beauties in the buff graced Bourbon Street to show that baring skin is better than wearing skin, one passerby was so inspired that he shed his shirt and joined in.
While it takes a lot to raise eyebrows in New Orleans, the ladies (and gent) managed to capture the attention of hundreds of passersby, who walked away with informative leaflets about the cruel fur and leather industries.
According to a statement on its website, athletic behemoth Adidas has sworn off the skins of exotic animals—including crocodiles, snakes, sharks, and fish—joining compassionate companies such as Nike and Cole Haan, H&M, Overstock.com, and Victoria's Secret that rock the mock croc. Adidas also refuses to use fur or wool from sheep who were mulesed in any of its shoes or clothing.
We applaud Adidas for making great strides for so many animals, and look forward to the day when all its footwear is faux.
A member of PETA's herd of "cows," who were in L.A. earlier this week to protest the plethora of leather at the Los Angeles Shoe Show, gives Will Ferrell a run for his money with the cowbell.
If you've had all the cowbell you can take, check out our cruelty-free clothing guide, which includes a list of companies that sell shoes guaranteed not to incur the wrath of cows.
Animals killed for their skins don't get to choose whether or not to shed their coats. Humans do have a choice, however, and three PETA protesters chose to shed their coats, and pretty much everything else, to remind Toronto Fashion Week attendees that every fur coat, leather shoe, snakeskin bag, and wool sweater caused animals tremendous suffering.
Volunteers handed out leaflets describing the cruelty of the fur and leather industries, such as bludgeoning and electrocuting animals and sometimes even skinning them alive.
For the compassionate beauties who braved the cold, the demonstration raised some chill bumps, but they said the awareness they also raised was worth it. To see how easy it is to be warm and warm-hearted, check out PETA's Compassionate Clothing Guide. Paparazzi aren't included, but you'll still turn heads.
Shoppers came face-to-face with their footwear at a recent PETA India protest.
The event took place at a busy shopping center during the International Leather Goods Fair, which was being held nearby. Indian media couldn't get enough of the display of bloody "cow's heads" on meat hooks, and major news outlets turned out to cover the protest. PETA India staffers and volunteers got several opportunities to tell reporters and shoppers about how cows, buffaloes, and other animals suffer for a pair of shoes. In India, as in the U.S., animals used for leather have their throats cut in full view of other animals, and many are dismembered and skinned while they are still conscious. PETA India asked shoppers to choose synthetic leather and other cruelty-free options, available at their local mall.
Maybe next time they can include some cow costumes with fake human skin wrapped around their hooves. Hmmm, now there's an idea for a demonstration …
Pamela Anderson is unstoppable! Here are just some of the things this angel for animals did on behalf of PETA this year:
Jumping through hoops to fight against animal abuse, she urged Chile's prez to ban animal circuses and turned a Dancing With the Stars paso doble into an opportunity to speak out against bullfighting!
"Her milkshake brings all the boys to the yard ...." And now the vegan soy milkshake that she created brings all the customers to West Hollywood's Millions of Milkshakes.
The curvaceous Canuck tried her luck at ending Canada's annual seal slaughter by delivering a petition to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and asking Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to ban Canadian seal pelts.
There's a reason that this pup loves Pam: The kindhearted actor adopted her after helping PETA rescue dozens of dogs and cats who were displaced by the BP oil spill.
Pam's hot "All Animals Have the Same Parts" ad was a hit when it was unveiled in the U.K. and got even more media attention when it was banned in Montréal.
Always on the go, the golden-haired globetrotter spoke out against fur in Israel and leather in India.
From her recent tweet about NASA's decision to nix its primate radiation experiments to her letters calling on Congress to ban experiments on monkeys, Pam's actions in behalf of animals are always inspiring, and she deserves a "chimp, chimp, hooray" for all that she does for them every day!
Which of these Pam-tastic actions inspires you the most?
Written by Amy Skylark Elizabeth
One person's tired old trench coat can be another's fashion statement, which is why it's no wonder that eco-friendly and budget-conscious shoppers everywhere are turning to thrift stores and vintage shops.
So PETA is working with the Lucky Dog Thrift Shop in Nashua, New Hampshire, to make certain that all its customers "Understand Secondhand."
Informative tags will be placed on all of Lucky Dog's fur, wool, silk, down, leather, and exotic-skins items so that would-be buyers will understand that the making of such articles involved animal suffering. We'll also be sending similar tags to activists to share with local thrift stores in college towns across the country.
Make no mistake: PETA opposes all exploitation and slaughter of animals by the fashion industry—past, present, and future—but we also realize that in today's eco-conscious culture, people might be reluctant to throw away clothing items that aren't beyond repair. Similarly, others might want to purchase sweaters and coats secondhand so that they're at least not contributing to the suffering that goes into manufacturing new items for today's department stores. PETA urges purchasers of secondhand furs to make sure others know that such garments are vintage and not newly produced products of pain.
With the "Understand Secondhand" tags, people can make informed shopping decisions—and maybe they'll opt for those cute retro canvas sneakers instead of the leather loafers after they learn about the cruelty of the skins trade.
Written by Karin Bennett
I have but two great loves in life: animals and shoes. But there's nothing I hate more than when the latter causes the former suffering. So I was over the moon—and slightly jealous—when I heard that mayjah fashion house Dior had made special vegan shoes for the new face of its Miss Dior Cherie campaign, Natalie Portman.
Portman, a vegan shoe designer herself and a girl after my own heart, has been known to rock Stella McCartney on many a red carpet. (BTW, did you hear that I'm giving away a Stella McCartney bag on PETA's Facebook page?) But for her media appearances promoting Black Swan (my new favorite movie), she's been switching it up between McCartney accessories and her veganized Dior shoes.
"One of the things that's been so nice is that Dior made all of the shoes for me with no animals and no leather or anything, because I don't wear any leather," Portman told WWD.com. "They remade all my shoes so I can wear Dior shoes without taking lives." Ya, that's pretty nice.
Written by Royale Ziegler
With Pamela Anderson in the Bigg Boss house, we thought that people might like to see some of the hardworking staffers at PETA India who are helping to get the word out about Pamela's worldwide appeal not to wear leather:
When most of us in the U.S. are nestled all snug in our beds, our friends on the other side of the world are working to liberate animals from laboratories, to get schools to cut out dissection, to encourage people to always adopt and never buy dogs, and much, much more.
It's good to know that caring people around the world are fighting against cruelty to animals 24/7. Let's support PETA India's and Pam's efforts by encouraging our friends and family to give leather the boot!
Written by Lindsay Pollard-Post
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.
Follow PETA on Twitter!