Fanshawe Fashionista: Who are the real fashion victims here?
Many people are receiving a lot of heat these days for keeping up with the latest fashion trends. Leather and fur apparel and accessories for this season are gaining popularity worldwide, and protesters of this fashion trend see it as nothing but a ‘faux paw', while supporters and designers continue to incorporate fur linings and trim as part of their wardrobe.
In a recent attempt to protest fur apparel, French animal rights activists launched a tofu cream pie at Vogue magazine editor, Anna Wintour, in protest against her support of fur use in the fashion industry. This was the second attack on Wintour this year, and protesters claim they won't stop until the mass murder of innocent creatures does. I'm wondering who is the fashion victim here; the animal missing it's furred coat, or Wintour, who, like many, is simply wearing hers.
Interestingly enough, one of the protesters was carrying a leather handbag in one of the pictures, and I don't understand how killing a cow to make a handbag or a killer pair of boots is any different than wearing a chinchilla fur coat. Is the ethical matter here focused on brutality, wiping out a species or harming living, breathing creatures, and are certain animals more acceptable to kill than others? Why can we sport the skin of one animal, not the fur of another?
PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) urges the termination of any animal use to make clothing, regardless of which animals and materials used. And although many celebrities are working with organizations such as PETA to stop animal killing, many are doing the opposite and promoting nothing but fur and leather from head to toe.
And what happened to the days when an animal was actually 100 per cent used when it was killed? Everything from the bones to the skin and the meat was useable, but now the skin is marketable, and the rest is often thrown away because the methods of slaughter — commonly poison or electrocution — make the animal inedible. These methods are used specifically to spare the fur or leather from being damaged and stained by blood. However, it makes it nearly impossible to use any other part of the animal; the rest just goes to waste.
Many could dispute for hours how right or wrong it is to make animal coats your own. Essentially, the debate comes down to waste. If overpopulation is a problem and an animal is going to be extinguished anyway, then it makes sense to utilize as much of the animal as possible for food and raw materials to make clothing. Not everyone may agree that fur and leather is fashionable or even acceptable, but as long as it's going to be produced, the animal being sacrificed might as well be used to the full extent to justify such an act. As long as you are aware of the circumstances and how the animals are killed, and still feel fine buying a new leather jacket than all the power to you, just watch out for tofu cream pies next time you are out in public.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
In a recent attempt to protest fur apparel, French animal rights activists launched a tofu cream pie at Vogue magazine editor, Anna Wintour, in protest against her support of fur use in the fashion industry. This was the second attack on Wintour this year, and protesters claim they won't stop until the mass murder of innocent creatures does. I'm wondering who is the fashion victim here; the animal missing it's furred coat, or Wintour, who, like many, is simply wearing hers.
Interestingly enough, one of the protesters was carrying a leather handbag in one of the pictures, and I don't understand how killing a cow to make a handbag or a killer pair of boots is any different than wearing a chinchilla fur coat. Is the ethical matter here focused on brutality, wiping out a species or harming living, breathing creatures, and are certain animals more acceptable to kill than others? Why can we sport the skin of one animal, not the fur of another?
PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) urges the termination of any animal use to make clothing, regardless of which animals and materials used. And although many celebrities are working with organizations such as PETA to stop animal killing, many are doing the opposite and promoting nothing but fur and leather from head to toe.
And what happened to the days when an animal was actually 100 per cent used when it was killed? Everything from the bones to the skin and the meat was useable, but now the skin is marketable, and the rest is often thrown away because the methods of slaughter — commonly poison or electrocution — make the animal inedible. These methods are used specifically to spare the fur or leather from being damaged and stained by blood. However, it makes it nearly impossible to use any other part of the animal; the rest just goes to waste.
Many could dispute for hours how right or wrong it is to make animal coats your own. Essentially, the debate comes down to waste. If overpopulation is a problem and an animal is going to be extinguished anyway, then it makes sense to utilize as much of the animal as possible for food and raw materials to make clothing. Not everyone may agree that fur and leather is fashionable or even acceptable, but as long as it's going to be produced, the animal being sacrificed might as well be used to the full extent to justify such an act. As long as you are aware of the circumstances and how the animals are killed, and still feel fine buying a new leather jacket than all the power to you, just watch out for tofu cream pies next time you are out in public.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
