IN many places on earth, it is already winter and people are dressing up warmly. Some people
wear coats or jackets made of synthetic material, and some made of animal products especially fur.
Having been an animal welfare activist most of my life, I have done extensive reading and research,
as well as engaged in many debates and discussions regarding the use of animal products,
especially fur. I have heard all the pros and cons about wearing fur, and no matter how loud or
aggressive opposing sides convince each other, it will not alter the fact that both sides will
find ways to maintain their respective position.
As a beauty pageant fan, I am very troubled by the fact that
fur coats are still being distributed as prizes to winners, despite the cruelty involved in the
manufacture of fur. A fur-wearing beauty queen to me symbolized utter sophistication and consummate
royalty; this vision, however, evaporated into thin air when I discovered the ugly truth about the
fur industry. What is even more disturbing is that most people involved in the fashion, entertainment and
beauty world - many of whom educated and reasonable - prefer to turn a blind eye to millions of
animals terrorized, abused and horribly slaughtered daily in many unregulated fur farms all over
the world.
One of these people is Anna Wintour, left, the celebrated editor in chief of American Vogue and who is an
avowed fur-wearer. Wintour has been repeatedly hounded by PETA and several animal rights groups for her blatant
promotion of fur in her magazine. A few years ago, PETA launched a site, Voguesucks.com,
that parodies Wintour and documents the group's clashes with the steely fashion icon. The January 2005 issue of American Vogue features megastar Jennifer Lopez who herself is a big
fur wearer and made PETA's worst-dressed list.
Due to the frivolous nature of the fashion and entertainment industries, it is easier to allow space
for fur and other politically incorrect garments; however, no such space should be allowed in the
pageant world where physical and inner beauties are intertwined and where candidates are supposed
to manifest substance, sensitivity and discernment.
The purpose of this article is three-fold: to discuss the
pros and cons of wearing fur, to inform our readers about the increasing distribution of fur coats as
prizes in beauty pageants, and to urge pageant organizers to drop fur stores as sponsors.
The Pros and Cons of Wearing Fur
Virtually every furrier, fur fanatic or fur seller will tell you the exact same reasons people
wear fur. Below are the most common reasons and my counterarguments.
People wear fur to keep themselves warm. This might have been true in
predominantly cold societies where the inhabitants relied on using the entire animal as source of food and clothing. Now, due to the omnipresence of alternative non-fur garments
(which are cheaper and more practical), there is really no need for people in cold countries to warm
themselves in fur clothing. Even if you lose your polyester pea jacket or nylon coat, it
is easier to replace it than replacing a lost fur coat which is more expensive and vulnerable to
theft.
People wear fur to be stylish. It really depends on one's definition of the
word style. In relation to fashion, Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the word as "fashionable
elegance," "beauty," or "grace." But in reality, the word itself is not easy to define because it falls
in the realm of subjectivity and therefore is infinitely variable from one individual to another.
As I have indicated earlier, a fur-clad woman represented style and elegance but as I grew older,
I learned that style is a trait that is first and foremost innate in each of us, and is independent
of external influence. In this context, a non-fur wearer can be just as "stylish" as a fur-wearer and
perhaps even more. As a lover and student of art, I have neither encountered nor known of any
work of art that glorifies women wearing fur. If anything, many of the world's greatest art objects
depict women as naked, half-naked or furless - which suggests that artists see beauty in
a naked human body. Now you understand why Pamela Anderson decided
to strip naked and to give fur "a cold shoulder!" All in the name of stylish nudity!
People wear fur because they believe it is durable. This is true - fur
coats could last a lifetime but if and only if you really take good care of it. A fur company, Webfurs, offers
the following advice on how to take care of your fur:
Furs are very strong and durable and should last many years with proper care.
It is best to clean and store your fur with a furrier each summer. Use a wide hanger when in the
closet and never crush the fur. It is best not to cover the fur at all when in the closet. Furs
will stand up just fine in bad winter weather. Never put the coat near a heat source but let it
dry in an open space. If it gets soaked all the way through, it is best to call your furrier.
During the summer, you should store your fur with a professional furrier. It will add years of
enjoyment if taken care of properly.
Guess what? I have three coats (two of which are made of synthetic material and are over fifteen years old, and a vintage corduroy one that I inherited
from my partner's grandfather) that keep me warm and stylish during the cold season. I take care of
these coats as if they were my prized possessions. Honestly, if you're a busy person, would you really spend some of your precious time worrying about
preserving your fur coat in which many people have seen you many times already? There's nothing
chic - especially if you are a relatively young woman - about wearing the same fur coat repeatedly and to
start resembling obnoxious matrons in New York's Fifth Avenue. What is perhaps worse is that there are people
who seem to love their fur coats more than their own furry pets.
People wear fur because it is versatile and re-styleable. In other words,
fur can be worn for all occasions and it complements all styles of clothing, be it formal, semi-formal or casual.
Fur stores accommodate their customers with lighter-weight fur and fur accessories as to give the
impression that fur is a year-round garment. Naturally, the fur industry would do anything to increase
their sales and what better way to do it than to manufacture and promote fur-based products designed
to dupe mostly female consumers into making them feel stylish, cute or special. A good seller will
always tell you what you want to hear, but a good buyer will always think twice before falling into
the seller's marketing pitch. And to perpetuate the notion that fur can be versatile, in the last few years
the fur industry introduced a new trend: making real
fur to look like fake and dying it with different colors. Consumers should also be aware - that the fur that you bought or will buy - used to belong to
someone's else's companion animal (dog or cat) from Asia. Because of the slump in sales in recent years,
the fur industry has been using every Machivallian trick (and will continue to do so) to fool naive consumers
at the expense of millions of defenseless and voiceless animals. All in the name of style.
People wear fur because it is environmentally friendly The fur industry will
tell you that fur is bio-degradable and a renewable resource. However, opponents such as PETA will
tell you the opposite:
Contrary to fur-industry propaganda, fur production destroys the environment. The energy needed
to produce a real fur coat from ranch-raised animal skins is approximately 20 times that needed
for a fake fur. Nor does fur biodegrade, thanks to the chemical treatment applied to stop
the fur from rotting. The process of using these chemicals is also dangerous as it can cause
water contamination.
About 44 pounds of feces are excreted per mink skinned by fur farmers. Based on the total number
of minks skinned in the U.S. in 1999, which was 2.81 million, mink factory farms generate
approximately 62,000 tons of manure per year. One result is nearly 1,000 tons of phosphorus,
which wreaks havoc in water ecosystems.
You also have to ask this most important question: How is the fur industry
friendly to the millions of animals living in crowded and disease-ridden cages and then suffer
a cruel death? How does a furrier kill a fox or a chinchilla in a "friendly" way?
People wear fur because they believe it supports livelihoods and cultures
The fur industry will tell you that when you buy fur, you support the livelihood of thousands of people
living on the land and who are concerned about preserving vital wildlife habitat. What is wrong
with this argument? First of all, it is such a cliché. People lose their jobs for several reasons,
and one of these reasons may be attributed to an increasing level of compassion among consumers who
are shocked and affected by so much cruelty in the fur industry. Second, fur farms - after a while -
can be transformed into farms that cultivate vegetation; jobs will not get lost but rather get shifted.
Besides, wouldn't you rather grow and eat your own produce, sell them, and never get hungry? It only
takes a little effort and imagination to change, if you are willing. Granted, there will be some
people who will never change and will find ways to defend their livelihood, but how could you continue
doing what you do when most of the world have lost interest in what you do?
People wear fur because they think it is their right A few years ago Kim Krier, coordinator of
PETA's anti-fur campaign, exclaimed, "Wearing fur anything comes from disrespect and arrogance. It has
nothing to do with fashion or warmth and everything to do with greed.'' (Times Union, New York, 1/29/2000). Many fur wearers would
certainly disagree with Krier and tell her that it is their God-given right to wear whatever they want;
usually, people who think as such have an extremely narrow view (or nothing at all) of liberty and justice -
that it should be enjoyed by all creatures and not just humans. Disrespect towards other creatures indicates
lack of sensitivity and arrogance leads to moral and intellectual blindness; is this what we want to
become and teach to the younger generation?
JANUARY 2005
