Fashion
Random: Not, “save the dang chipmunk”
By
kenya.hunt, on
January 15, 2010
I’ve been hearing a lot of talk about fur lately on this side of the pond. And surprisingly, most of it has been very pro-fur, a fact I find to be interesting considering how many dirty looks I’ve gotten in the past when I’ve worn mink or fox out in public. The talk started during a girls’ night last Friday when several of my girlfriends showed up to a performance of Matthew Bourne’s
Swan Lake wearing vintage and new fur. The outfits prompted a discussion during intermission about the ethics of wearing animal skin. Several of us only buy vintage (although I kind of lamely broke that rule with my recent furry trapper hat purchase), while one happily buys the new stuff and the fifth sticks to leather and wool. I told them about the time I, dressed in an old fox coat, had to walk through a line of animal rights protestors who were blocking my entrance to a show in Paris. I tried my best to put on the stink eye (there would be no paint throwing that day) and stomped through the surly crew, even though I really wanted to just run around the building and find a back entrance. Then yesterday, my friend emailed me
this letter that the singer Kelis wrote to PETA. Here’s an excerpt:
“There is no humane way to kill anything, let me start there. It’s unfortunate but it’s part of life. With that being said, I would eat pterodactyl if you found some and you told me it was meaty and delicious. And after doing a very minimal amount of research……. I found out that the founder Ingrid Newkirk is completely batty. I had a feeling but she far exceeded my expectations. I mean certifiably insane! Lol this chicks will is nuts, google it – it’s a riot! Beyond the fact that I think she’s a diabetic, which means she needs insulin, which is taken from lab pigs (I know this because my sister happens to be in veterinary school), which would be completely hypocritical. It’s like don’t abuse animals unless it can help me.
I feel very strongly about a lot of things such as the sweatshops that spin cotton and the blood on their hands. Btw it’s not just the look of fur. It’s warm as hell and feels glorious, ever rubbed faux fur on your body? Nothing luxurious about that. Then the letter proceeded to name artist and designers who don’t wear real fur. Great! More for me! I don’t judge them, don’t judge me.”
The letter is pretty hilarious. And an even ballsier move than my Paris moment. The same day that I read Kelis’ letter, I saw a op-ed column in the Evening Standard, arguing that vintage furs are perfectly okay (better to keep recycling them than letting the warm clothing go to waste, after all.) And then, when searching for that column online in order to link to it here, I found this. So fur is clearly in the collective fashion consciousness. On one hand, this is not surprising. Fur was all over the autumn/winter 2009 runways. On the other, I’m quietly amused by how many people are openly identifying themselves as a member of Team Fur. Wearing my vintage pelts on this side of the pond, I was beginning to feel like a political conservative — which I’m totally not, big surprise there — living in New York. Sheesh.
That letter IS funny. It’s funny but she’s also off-the-mark on a lot of points. I myself only wear vintage fur. I’d never buy new fur. Kelis is right in that a lot of anti-fur peeps give hypocritical arguments. But her points are kind of out there.
I believe wearing vintage fur is fine. If you can afford real fur then why not, it looks fabulous.