Is wearing fur wrong?
By: Elijah DeVivo
Interim Creative Editor
Fur has been worn since the dawn of time, it’s been used as a means of showing status, used as a means of being stylish or simply used to keep warm. However, the usage and production of fur is now in dispute as some feel it is cruel and unethical.
Rumors have circulated about animals being skinned alive in the fur industry, animals being crammed together in inhumane living conditions and even beaten. However, these rumors stem from People for The Ethical Treatment of Animals, PETA. This organization relies heavily on shock value and strong advertisement.
A film put out in 2005 shows an animal moving its head around already having its fur removed. This video horrified viewers and sparked action. Many contacted PETA to request a full unedited, uncut version but were denied. Many thought it was fishy the animal rights organization refused to show the unedited version.
The issues surrounding this rumor is in most countries it is illegal to handle animals cruelly and inhumanely. PETA claims the video was filmed in China where there aren’t protections. Whether the film was legitimate or not, we may never know.
The fur industry claims there are regulations they follow that comply with ethics. Websites like truthaboutfur.com have listed facts about the fur industry in defense of the fashion statement.
The issue is, what is reliable and what is not?
“I don’t follow news that much or fashion, however I have heard some stuff about fur.” David Ortiz, marketing program, said.
“The [PETA] accusations sound completely ridiculous, I don’t think there’s any truth to what they said,” Ortiz said.
Megan Utama, business administration, had a different opinion.
“I’m not a big animal person, but fur is a way for people to look classier and more elegant,” she said. “The process to get fur, however, is cruel and I’d only wear faux fur, never real.”
“I’m normally okay with it, but when there’s accusations as awful as the ones PETA made, it makes me wonder,” Sonja Ward, business marketing, said. “I think synthetic fur should be the way to go because real fur can be a mean process.”
“I haven’t heard much about the fur industry, but if you’re using all of the animal and not just using it for its fur then it shouldn’t be an issue,” Peter Topalian, computer science program, said. “As long as nothing is going to waste.”
When it comes to the fur industry it is all a matter of opinion. The facts on both side are questionable so it is up to you to decide.