I recently discovered that one of PETA’S celebrity endorsers, Dita Von Teese, has her own fur line and is quite open about it. If fact PETA, apparently has no problem working with Dita even though she wears and sells fur. Am I the only one who thinks this is upsetting?
Click ahead for the full story and my thoughts on PETA’S contradiction…
Lets define, shall we…
Contradiction (noun)-variance to something
PETA– People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
Fur– Not an ethical treatment of animals.
Don’t celebrities and organizations value the quality of authenticity anymore? Authenticity is pretty simple: If you talk the talk, walk the walk.
Pro-Animal Rights
Like most vegans, I am an animal lover. In fact, my first inspiration towards veganism was out of my childhood love of animals. And I support people and organizations who promote animal rights. But sometimes PETA confuses the heck out of me.
The Scoop
Numerous news outlets reported that Dita Von Teese was spotted having a vegan lunch at Real Food Daily in Santa Monica California. One of my favorite restaurants in the country might I add.
This brought up a huge history of Dita’s work with vegan animal rights company PETA. And the background story is quite questionable. It begs the question: Is PETA being a hypocrite?
PETA and Von Teese
The Vegetarian Star reported this:
“Von Teese worked with PETA in a campaign to encourage pet owners to spay and neuter their animals and was also set to star in a Beauty Without Cruelty campaign in cooperation with Chanel, to show how animal cruelty was unnecessary in the cosmetic industry.
But she has a collection of vintage furs she’s not ashamed to discuss.
“PETA’s totally aware of me,” she once told PEOPLE. “I’m not working with PETA to tell people to be vegetarians or to stop wearing fur. I am there to strictly speak about spaying and neutering your pets.”
PETA had responded by saying, “She said she has some vintage furs she wears occasionally. PETA often works with a celebrity on an issue they feel comfortable supporting, whether it’s supporting spaying and neutering, or speaking out against products that are tested on animals. So they may not be an animal rights activist, but their contribution to any of our campaigns is appreciated.”
I am against fur, but I certainly wouldn’t take away Dita Von Teese’s right to wear or sell fur. I can only do my best and snarl at all the fur coat wearers this time of year in New York City.
Dita is her own person, and is open about her fur-accepting stance.
However, PETA runs across runway stages splattering red paint on fur wearing models. So how in the world can they dare work with someone who sells and wears fur???
Confusing and upsetting.
I wish PETA would not choose its celebrities based on popularity, but rather on cold hard facts about what they represent. So many celebrities and everyday people say they represent one thing and actually LIVE something totally different. I would like to see more authenticity in PETA’S celebrity endorsers. Anyone can pose naked for a PETA ad and make the news. But if at the end of the day you are eating a hamburger while draped in a mink fur coat, I say you are nothing more that a fake. And if PETA was too blind to see that, then they are just as bad.
Authenticity is a pretty simple concept: If you talk the talk, walk the walk.
I think it’s totally cool when omnivores support animal rights and welfare.
Just because you choose to eat meat, doesn’t mean you have to support ridiculous amounts of cruelty and the inhumane treatment of animals.
In other words, I don’t think PETA should require an all-or-nothing commitment from celebrities who want to help.
It makes sense that people who eat meat but support PETA would want better conditions for factory farm animals, because after all -unhealthy animals = unhealthy food.
But for the life of me, I cannot understand how a PETA spokesperson can not only *wear* fur, but also actively SELL and support the industry.
This just crosses the line of contradiction, completely. It’s ridiculous to have a spokesperson argue for the welfare of cats and dogs and yet skin foxes alive for the sake of her fashion line.
What is the most disappointing of all, is that PETA does great things and yet because of crap like this so many people dismiss the organization.
It’s not as if PETA isn’t already looked at with a ridiculous amount of scrutiny. Do they really need more ammunition for the pro-cruelty people?
Asha tara,
You make an excellent point.
I agree that when a non-vegan supports animal rights or another ‘vegan’ cause, it is a good thing. But in this case I think we can both agree that PETA has not made the wisest decision.
I also agree with your point that PETA really gets a lot of BAD press from some of the less-that-smart choices they make. If PETA ever wants to be taken seriously about the incredibly worthy cause that they represent, they need to cool their heels and take a step back and stop making really bad PR decisions.
Thanks for the great comment,
Kathy
I think DITA represents a lot of people in society who are conflicted on issues. I know people who love animals and hate animal cruelty, but in the name of fashion sometimes a fur coat makes it on their back. I don’t know what I agree with, but people are so complex and sometimes its hard to be 100% about something.
Like…I love the earth, but I don’t always recycle.
This is my spin on it: I’m a vegan who doesn’t mind vintage furs as long as current furriers don’t copy their designs. Vintage furs come from an era where awareness of animal sensitivity didn’t exist. Nowadays to support leather and fur production seems ostentatious and unnecessarily self-indulgent. And horrifying. I wear secondhand leather and fur as I don’t feel that I am buying into the current industry.