As many
of you will know, I am very much against the use of animals and their skins,
furs and products in fashion. It is a controversial topic amongst many people
with various different views, but a topic that I feel very strongly about. I
have been a vegetarian for many years now and have, I have said in previous
posts, dabbled in veganism, therefore, for me, the idea of eating meat and
parts of an animal really disturbs me and I really dislike the idea of it very
much.
The use
of animals is fashion however is a whole other matter to me. Rather than making
me feel nauseous and uncomfortable, I've found that it makes me angry and
irritated. There is something so uncomfortable and unsettling about the idea of
wearing an animal’s skin or fur, and
then there is the horror that animals endure just purely so we humans having
something to wear.
“Animals are not
ours to eat, wear, experiment on, use for entertainment, or abuse in any other
way.”
Fur is
one of the oldest forms of clothing and has been around since the days of
cave-men, I suppose for the humans of the past it was
an ideal piece of clothing and relatively easy to get hold of; it kept them
warm in the coldest of days and due to the primitive time it would have been
incredibly easy to get hold of and would have been part of their hunting any
way: eat the meat, wear the skin.
“The decision
not to use leather or fur is not just because I don’t eat animals or that I
think that millions of animals each year shouldn’t be killed for the sake of
fashion. It’s because I also believe in the connection between fur and leather
and the environment. There’s a huge connection.”
Stella
McCartney
As we are now knee-deep in the cold winter climate, fur coats have started
appearing everywhere, making a return to fashion. Thankfully, most of the high
street stores sell mainly faux-fur coats, however many stores and designers are
selling real-fur coats and jackets and accessories ranging in a variety of different furs: fox,
rabbit, grey wolf, raccoon and many, many
others. All these animals used for the pleasure of people endure a tremendous
amount of suffering and pain and lose inevitably their lives.
Fur
Farms are generally the most popular source of fur,
with PETA estimating 85% of the fur used in industry coming form these fur
farms. Animals in these so-called ‘farms’ are kept in conditions that are too
horrific to even imagine, they are confined to small wire cages, which are
cramped and filthy. These animals will spend most of their lives trapped in
conditions such as these. These ‘fur farms’ are very similar to the factory
farms used to rear animals for food: their aim being to increase their profits,
exploiting and without a care for the animals.
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| Images from PETA |
There are so many alternatives to fur, most of
them are just as soft and look almost identical to the real fur. There is also
a huge price difference, faux-fur coats are generally immensely cheaper – if
that doesn’t sway you toward faux-fur I don’t know what will. Personally I am also against faux-fur, only because I feel it is promoting the suffering.
One of the issues I find that is often associated with the wearing of fur is the frequent contradiction. Many people find themselves hating fur and the use of animals within fashion, however on the other hand they are frequent meat eaters. However we realise that, even though I don't eat meat and haven't for some time, our bodies do (as I shiver at the thought) need proteins, often in the form of meat (however for me thats pulses and tofu.) However we as humans do not need fur, it is not a vital part of our lives.
This is when the "well if you're going to eat the meat why not use the fur as well etc etc" debate, and yes I hear you. But most of the furs used in out clothing are not animals that are consumed as food. When was the last time you ate a bear? Or a fox? Or a raccoon? Yeah, I thought so.
As you can tell I have a very strong opinion on this matter and it is something I feel incredibly passionate about. I read on Independent Fashion Bloggers that talking about a controversial topic, and one that is important to you is an interesting thing for your blog, and a way for readers to connect and understand you as a blogger.
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