Furry Talk in the Pageant World
Early last summer, Andrea Cimino, the Fur Free Campaign Coordinator
of HSUS (Humane Society of the United States), sent me a compilation of press articles that reported on
the distribution of fur coats in several beauty pageant contests. Several state pageants that receive
generous support from furriers have been awarding fur coats for many years to the winners. For instance, when
Shandi Finnessey was crowned Miss Missouri USA 2003, she received a fur coat made of
raccoon. When asked if the coat was politically correct, Finnessey replied, "I don't know, actually
fur's kind of coming back in. I'm a huge animal lover, though, so I had a slight problem with it.
But they were giving it to me as a gift and I think it would be rude to not accept it. " (Read
the entire article here.)
Finnessey's response is typical of people or beauty queens
who face a moral dilemma and who attempt to sound neutral by "adjusting" their beliefs in a given
situation. By accepting the fur coat, Finnessey believed that she would appease the contest
organizers as well as the sponsors. If she had not accepted the coat, then she would have created
controversy which might possibly hurt her future. But a true beauty queen, to me, should be courageous,
uncompromising and upright. By saying that she was a "huge animal lover," Finnessey was really more concerned
about what the organizers and the sponsors would think instead of the terrible plight that raccoons
suffer on fur farms. If she had been true to her love of animals, then she could have graciously
renounced the coat and donated it to homeless person or auctioned it off and donated the money to
a favorite charity organization.
Besides Finnessey, the following beauty queens have also received
fur coats from their respective pageants. Kristin Berset, Miss Florida USA 2003, "was presented
with a sheared, velvetized mink coat by Alexis & Gianni." (Weekly International Fur News, 8/19/2003).
Miss New York State 2004 Jessica Lynch received "a full-length mink coat in her wardrobe, courtesy of
the Greater Fur New York Association." (Weekly International Fur News, 6/9/2003 and SPR, 7/7/2003).
Later, Lynch would again receive a "trendy full-length mink coat" from Murray Cox of Fur New York
and that "Cox gave the finalists an overview of fur fashions, then gifted each with a mink handbag." (Fur
World, 7/26/2004). Autumn Muller, Miss Montana Teen USA 2004, "got a faux-fur coat as part of
her package of prizes" according to Leading Lady magazine.
I would be curious to see whether or not the coat is really a fake. Christina Yvette Ellington, Miss New York 2004, received a full-length
mink coat as one of her prizes (see photo left). The following 2005 queens have been photographed
wearing fur coats, real or fake: Sade Alexandra Aiyeku (Miss Idaho USA), Crystal Hayes (Miss
Michigan USA), Laci Scott (Miss Oklahoma USA), Crystal Glidden (Miss Teen Oklahoma USA), and
Britany Belczak (Miss Teen International 2004).
The new Miss Texas USA Tyler Willis received a full-length natural black onyx mink coat, whereas
Miss Texas Teen USA April Ford was awarded a blue fox jacket - both gifts from the Fur Salon of
Saks Fifth Avenue. Tiffany Jenkins, Miss Maryland 2004, was awarded "$15,000 scholarship and use of a car and a red fox fur
coat and hat for a year." (The Herald-Mail, Hagerstown, MD, 6/20/2004) On July 15, 2004 Cimino wrote
to the editor of the Herald-Mail that included the following excerpts:
The Humane Society of the United States agrees with the statement by the executive director of
the Miss Cecil County pageant that "It's not just outer beauty that counts, but inner beauty, too,"
and is very disappointed that the Miss Maryland pageant gave a red fox fur coat and hat to the pageant
winner, Miss Gaithersburg, Tiffany Jenkins ("Miss Maryland 2004 crowned," June 20).
The Miss Maryland pageant should realize that compassion for animals is an important part of a person's
character. A full-length red fox coat requires the lives of 18 animals that were either trapped with
cruel leghold traps or raised in inhumane conditions on fur "farms" or "ranches." The Miss America
pageant decided more than 15 years ago to stop giving away a fur coat after host Bob Barker pointed
out the animal suffering involved in the fur industry. We hope that next year, the Miss Maryland
pageant officials will realize that animal cruelty does not belong in beauty pageants and will
choose a more compassionate gift for the winner.
Outside the United States, fur garments are awarded constantly in
Canadian beauty pageants. Elite Furs, based in Toronto, is one of the major sponsors of the Miss
Universe Canada 2005 pageant. Miss Universe Canada 2003 Leanne Cecile was involved in a controversy
when she had planned wearing a sealskin dress from Nunavut (the Canadian home of the Inuits) at the
Miss Universe pageant in Panama. 
New York designer Marc Bouwer pleaded with Cecile not to wear the dress
designed by Dolorosa Nartok. The beauty queen did not wear the dress, not because of public pressure but
because she had forgotten to bring it with her. In fact, Cecile had fallen in love with the dress and could not
wait to wear it. (Nunatsiuk News, 6/6/2003) Two years ago, former Miss Universe Justine Pasek, right, was
made PETA's worst-dressed list after she was photographed wearing fur during a gala event.
My initial reaction was that of shock and disgust, so I immediately wrote an e-mail
to Pasek pleading with her to stop wearing fur and explaining to her about the cruelty
involved in the fur industry. I also suggested that she consider fake fur instead. She never
answered me.
Beauty Without Conscience?
Every year, thousands of young women aspire of becoming beauty queens
and of following the footsteps of ex-queens who have made it big in the fashion or entertainment world.
Sadly, many of these young women - although physically attractive, eloquent and relatively intelligent -
seem totally ignorant of the cruelty involved in the manufacture of fur. How does one explain such
unawareness in these young and beautiful minds? Are we to assume that these women come from
sheltered homes devoid of any outlet to the real world? Do they show any genuine interest in current
events or social problems?
The recent Miss World pageant revealed that some of the delegates were
unaware of the horrific crimes perpetrated against millions of women and girls in Africa
and Asia. This is a scary revelation. Why? Because it suggests that even the world's most beautiful,
intelligent and educated women lack a reasonable level of consciousness required to connect themselves
with the less fortunate. Famous American writer Edgar Allan Poe said, "Beauty of whatever kind, in
its supreme development, invariably excites the sensitive soul to tears." Where are the beauty queens
who possess souls sensitive to the beauty of non-human creatures? Where are the state or national directors
and pageant organizers who possess souls sensitive to the horrendous pain inflicted upon millions
of caged furry animals? To wear fur (or even leather) signifies that the person - in this case
a beauty queen - who is supposed to represent beauty, kindness and compassion - is actually
promoting cruelty and to a certain degree, a return to a backward civilization. It is hard to
buy to an organization's good cause if its representative supports a bad cause! With tremendous
stride that we have accomplished in warming up cold bodies - in the form of
cheaper, practical and more durable synthetic materials - there is really no need any more for fur.
Beauty With Conscience
Why can't the pageant world emulate Audrey Hepburn's childlike
innocence and sublime penchant for caring? Why aren't more beauty queens imitating Natasha Allas, Miss
World USA 2000 who turned down her $50,000 fur prize and became an advocate for the welfare
and better treatment of animals nationwide? Why do some pageant organizers continue to solicit support
from furriers and thus to perpetuate cruelty when they can seek support from alternative fashion businesses
and promote consumption with conscience? Cimino wrote to me in another e-mail: "Being
associated with a organization such as state beauty pageant is great public relations
for the fur industry and a perfect diversion to deflect attention away
from their brutal treatment of the animals." To me, as a critic and a big pageant fan,
the best pageants are those in which the participants work together to make sure that everyone wins without resorting to unethical or uncompassionate
means. Make 2005 a better year for pageants by eliminating fur as prizes and by doing any
of the following good deeds:
Read Beauty Without the Beasts by Heather Chase. Chase is the founder of Models With Conscience
and in her book, she discusses the many ways that people can still look and feel beautiful without using animal-based
products. See what people are saying about the book at
Amazon.com.
Get rid of your fur garments. PETA encourages people with unwanted fur garments
to donate them to the homeless or to disaster victims. For details, visit FurIsDead.com.
Donate your old furs to wildlife. If you don't feel comfortable donating used or
old furs to people, give them back to the animals. The furs are used to provide warmth and comfort
to injured wild animals. For more information, visit the
Humane Society of
the United States.
Educate yourselves about the illegal fur trade. Read more about the 18-month
long undercover investigation by HSUS into the brutal slaughter of companion animals – dogs and cats –
for the international fur trade.
Patronize the Critical Beauty Boutique. The proceeds will be reserved for the
Critical Beauty Foundation that will offer scholarships to young women who share CB's goals - to promote
plant-based nutrition and to better the lives of animals.
JANUARY 2005
PHOTO CREDITS:
ANNA WINTOUR, JUSTINE PASEK - courtesy of PETA.ORG
CHRISTINA YVETTE ELLINGTON - courtesy of http://www.christina-ellington.com/
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