Okay FUR Me?
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In fashion the topic of fur is almost as serious as white-washed runways and eating disorders. Some designers couldn’t live without showing fur in every collection— yes, even their spring/summer collections— and others would rather die before even letting a real leather shoe touch their runway. When I was little I thought fur was just ‘fabulous, dahling’, but now I’m not exactly sure where I stand on the topic.
Part of me thinks fur is foul. Tons of little, cuddly-when-they’re-not-vicious creatures die to make every piece, but the little kid in me that still walks around stores stroking fabrics, loves the feeling and is drawn to is glamorized allure.
One of my favorite outfits from Sex and the City features a gorgeous fur coat. The perfect, slinky, black, beaded dress Carrie wears to the party at the end of the Fleet Week episode was paired perfectly with a large, dramatic fur. The outfit still seems absolutely perfect to me, but I don’t think I’d ever try to mimic it because of this ethical fur dilemma.
Do I approve or don’t I?
Also, I love the way Rachel Zoe wears furs without inhibition. I completely respect her for being a fantastic stylist, and though I had my doubts, I actually like her show, The Rachel Zoe Project. There’s just something very glam-hippie about her vintage furs, and it really romanticizes them. The same goes for the editorial in the 2008 issue of Fashion Rocks with Sasha Pivovarova and Dahni Harrison. The hippie vibe just draws me to the look of scraggly furs.
To be honest, I don’t think I’d put up much of a fight if I was given a fur, I just don’t think I’d buy one myself, because that would technically mean I was directly funding the fur industry.
Oh, the ethical dilemmas! What are your feelings on fur?
I don’t buy real fur because of the animal rights issues and the high prices. I do have a weakness for faux fur, as it can be almost as glamorous if it’s done well. I recently bought a vintage fur hat (in sable) and I’ve inherited fur-lined coats from family members, so I understand the appeal.
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I have never bought fur, mostly b/c I couldn’t afford it and partially b/c I feel like a jungle cat or something. I have seen the videos of how cruelly the animals are treated, and I agree it’s indeed the ethical dilemma, but not one I’ve ever had to address on my budget.
I currently wear leather, although I own literally three leather things, so what does that say about me? I’ll say this…as luxe as it looks, I can’t ever really see myself wearing fur even if I could afford it. Leather is another subject.
By the way, Kings of Leon is fantastique!
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I’ve been obsessing over the Rachel Zoe project as well. i love how glamorous she looks in her furs, although i don’t like the idea of an animal being killed for them. I think I have less of an issue with them if they are vintage furs because I wouldn’t feel they were being killed specifically so I could sport a fur coat
Love the Rachel Zoe project, but am disgusted that she wears fur. It is soooo backward not glamorous. It is not just about killing an animal for its fur it is the fact that they are often conscious when being skinned! I simply will not support torture. Fashion can live without fur. I can love fashion and not have to support designers that support torture. Sorry, but you need to educate yourself.
Poster Girl:
All the fake fur things I’ve ever worn were really cheaply made, so I guess I have a biased opinion of it. If I found a really good fake fur, maybe I’d be inspired to wear it, but I still have no idea…
E.Jay:
It’s funny how people always forget leather and lizard skins when considering the plight of the little fox. I wear leather all the time, but mostly in shoes and purses. I’ve yet to find the perfect leather jacket. I kind of want to save up for a Mike and Chris leather motorcycle jacket.
lauren:
A lot of people don’t feel as bad about vintage furs, and I’m sort of on the same page. I mean if my great-grandmother gave me some of her furs, I wouldn’t glare at her and reject the gift.
Sarah:
Being undecided about whether I like fur, I can’t say that fur is glamorous. I’ve seen the videos and read a lot about mistreatment of the animals. I don’t agree with torture either, and would much rather all furs come from animals that died naturally, but that isn’t the situation. I did however say fur is glamorized and romanticized, because today’s society it is and has been for a very long time.
I am strongly opposed to wearing animal skin period. I feel that people who wear animal skin are ignorant to what is really behind their leather purses, fur coats, and snake skin shoes. I have listed a link to a video that shows just how gruesome of a process animal skin for fashion is.
Watchers be ware this is not a video for the weak, it is a very real, very gruesome video. I do however, encourage people who agree with animal skin for fashion to watch. I bet they will have a change of heart.
The video link did not post so here it is.
http://www.petatv.com/tvpopup/video.asp?video=skins062&Player=wm
Unless you’re a vegan/vegetarian, there is nothing wrong with wearing fur. How hypocritical is it that it is morally okay to kill and eat animals for a few moments of pleasure for your tastebuds, but it is not okay to wear their hides/fur, which can provide protection/warmth for a lifetime.
And those PETA videos are just Animal Rights propaganda. They take the worst case scenarios (and I wouldn’t be surprised if they stage the videos…I have seen a video of them purposely upsetting monkeys at a research facility to make it look like they were going insane) and then say that’s what happens all of the time. It would be like if I took a video of a nanny throttling a baby, then said ALL nannies do it. It is sad people fall for it. Skinning animals alive is illegal here.
Also, the rest of fur animals DO NOT go to waste. They are turned into pet food, fed to zoo animals, parts of minks are made into oil, they’re made into fertilizer to grow crops, etc.
I, personally, used to be against fur too until I actually thought about it and realized how incredibly stupid and hypocritical I was to criticize someone who wears fur while I wear dead animals on my feet, use medicines tested on them, not to mention that I also eat them.
Here is a good web site for those wanting to learn more: http://www.furcommission.com/news/newsC7.htm
Thanks, MM . I’m still undecided about wearing fur. I like the look of it, but as it is I hate wen people feel th urge to pet soft fabrics I wear, so fur would be even worse. I do appreciate someone voicing a logical pro-fur opinion, and I’ll definitely check out the website so I can get both sides of the argument.