Does the use of fur in fashion need to stop, or does the fur trade serve a need? Fur is the oldest form of clothing and it has been worn by humans for varies of reasons through out history; its natural appearance, texture, fashion, color and snow does not melt during outdoor activities. So is the usage of fur need to stop? The answer is yes, its unethical and it is cruelty to animals and there is just no reasonable justification.
Fur is the oldest form of clothing and it has been worn by humans for varies of reasons through out history. Fur has been used by human as clothing since the ancient times to protect their themselves from climatic conditions. They have been remained popular over the years because of their warmth, durability, texture and high class status. For early centuries, the middle classes in west of Europe and in North America have developed an interested usage of furs as a fashion statement as a way of expressing their status, symbolism, or give themselves a sophisticated modern look. Fortunes of animal fur have been made over the centuries from the exploitation of animal fur to satisfy human needs.
Countless of animals have been killed world wide for fur every year. The most most commonly are the minks. However , foxes, chinchillas, rabbits, even dogs and other animals are also the victims. In 2013, the animal right group PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) release a shocking footage of a Chinese angora fur farm of a helpless rabbit being held down while its fur is ripped from its skin alive to make wearable fabrics. (Coleman, 2013) As the animas are raised in fur farms they live in a confinement and fall victims of psychologically resulting in leading to mental behaviors such as rushing, c...
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...th is not good for the earth. Your choice.
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Jennifer S.H. Brown, W.J. Eccles and Donald P. Heldman, The Fur Trade Revisited, Michigan State University Press, 1994.
Fur trading started between the Europeans along with the Aboriginals when the most valuable beaver pelts were substituted for metal and clothing goods such as iron knives and axis, copper kettles, blankets and trinkets. The beaver pelts were well desired by the Europeans for the reason that using this fur for headgear provided an elegant way to keep dry. However these pelts were for fashion, as men and women could be instantly noted within the social hierarchy by according to their beaver hats. It was so valuable that the sand on the floor was filtered to save every hair that had fallen off. For the Europeans, captivating advantages of the rich furs from the Indians in the New World was a major factor in generating handsome profits, and there is no other pelt exchanging business enterprise like the Hudson's Bay Company.
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Smith, Susan. Rethinking the fur trade: cultures of exchange in an Atlantic world. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2009.
The documentary “Earthlings” directed by Shaun Monson is a great example because it uses hidden cameras inside of factory farms to show how animals are treated on a day-to-day basis. It shows the audience various animals kept in tight confinements with only a little room to move around – if any. Chickens and pigs suffer severe stress and anxiety from the lack of space and overcrowded conditions which can lead to cannibalism. The film shows how corporations try to avoid this by mutilating the animals - teeth cutting, tail docking, and ear clipping for the pigs and debeaking for the chickens. However, around 33 minutes into the film it shows that these practices are done very quickly and can lead to extreme harm if not done
The Europeans arrived at the continent of North America and began to colonize. The Europeans arrival to the area that would become modern day Canada was a cataclysmic event. Their initial impact consisted of the fur trade and the destruction of resources as a result of the fur trade. Trading led to long term alcohol abuse among some Native tribes, increasing dependency on trade, and negative effects for the generations to follow. During Trade they also brought diseases which would eradicate entire tribes from the country. A dependency on the Europeans was developed from trading, forcing the Native American’s to allow missionaries to their settlements. After they tried religion, political and sociological ideas were implemented and carried out
Mulkeen, Declan and Carter, Simon. “When Should Animals Suffer?” Times Higher Education Supplement 1437 (5/26/2000): p34
Every year over 100 million animals die in the US; the cause for these deaths, animal testing. This injustice to animals involves testing products such as medical drugs or makeup, on poor imprisoned animals that don’t have the ability to stand for their own rights as most of us do. Animals used for testing are given products that may result in burning, poisoning, or death. These animals are forced to live in confined spaces where they wait until the next horrible experiment. They are, tortured beyond imagination as they are sometimes even cut open while they are alive (know as vivisection), either with expired analgesics or even without them.
This theme song to a popular cartoon is a farce dealing with experiments carried out on animals. In the cartoon one mouse is made very smart and wants to take over the world while the other is clearly not as smart. While the cartoon makes jokes, the reality is that mice and other animals re being used for medical tests every day. For some people this testing brings up ethical questions. One of the biggest questions: is it really necessary to take the lives of animals in the name of science and for the betterment of humanity? For animal rights activists, like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), the answer is no. PETA pressures labs into halting experiments because they believe that animals are not to be used by humans for "food, clothing, entertainment, or to experiment on" (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals 1). Its stance is that any testing is painful, inhumane, and unnecessary when alternatives are available. The PETA website says that "animals, like humans, have interests that cannot be sacrificed or traded away simply because it might benefit others." (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals 2-3). Essentially, PETA is of the opinion that animals and humans should have identical rights. In their press releases PETA puts out pictures of rabbits with open flesh wounds and dogs with rashes on their skins--all in an attempt to disgust people into sympathy for their cause. In actuality the number of lab animals used has been cut in half in the last 25 years (James-Enger 254). Of the animals used, 90 percent are rats and mice (James-Enger 1). Moreover, 11 million animals die each year in animal shelters (Americans for Medical Progress 2) and an astounding 95 percent ...
Fashion is everything to society and the media. The fashion industry has transformed into a necessity in the life of people. Everyone wants to look good, feel fabulous and feel as if we belong with everyone else. The envy and desire to wear certain things and look a certain way all come, from wearing the latest fashion handbags, accessories, dresses, shoes, and the list goes on. But, when is considering fashion into an individual’s life going too far to the extreme? Many do not consider the whereabouts of fashion materials and how the environment is affected by the mere existence of certain garments. Some may believe these objects grow on trees. But that is clearly not the case. Even though it would be nice. The fashion industry as a whole, has been notorious from green issues caused by their lack of sensitivity to the environment, conspicuous and unnecessary consumption of materials, encouraging an “throw-away” society and image issues that support women and young adults to look a certain way to feel “beautiful.” This is an issue that has increased over the past decades. Not just women, but men also feel the uncontrollable need to do whatever it takes to look like the celebrities they see on television and on the runways. The thought that the materials to make those desired items may have caused the life of animals or the destruction of mother nature does not come into mind. Countless people are concerned about conserving planet Earth and keeping it healthy. The fashion world has been targeted for many corruptions.
Palazzolo, Rose. "The Fur and the Fury." ABCNEWS.com. 12 Apr. 200. 5 Dec. 2002. <http://abcnews.go.com/sections/living/DailyNews/
The ugly truth is that animals are dying at the hands of their owners everyday, some in very violent ways that can be avoidable given the right solution. Slaughterhouses, puppy mills, dog fighting, and so on, are just a few examples of how animals are being treated badly by people. Animal cruelty is a form of violence which, un...
This article is about the overall impacts of fast fashion. The particular section referenced discusses possible solutions and alternatives to fast fashion. It talks about how it is possible to produce environmentally friendly clothing through the use of organic cotton, bamboo, hemp, and other fiber crops that require less pesticides, water, and other inputs. It goes on to share how certain brands are beginning to implement the model of sustainable clothing. The point of this article is to introduce readers to the topic of fast fashion, give background, and show readers what they
Imagine being beaten to near death and being painfully skinned alive. This scenario seems as if it would only happen in a horror film, but in reality it occurs on a daily basis. Looking at a fur coat through a store window or in a glossy magazine one may not realize that animals were beaten, electrocuted, crammed in filthy wire cages, or even hanged just to produce a simple fur coat. Every year millions of animals are treated wrongly and even killed for the fur on their backs. Society may think twice about wearing the corpse of an animal when one knows what really happens in the name of fashion. An immeasurable amount of suffering went into every fur trimmed jacket, leather belt, or wool sweater hanging in ones closet. To eradicate the unnecessary suffering of animals for fashion, wearing fur must be made illegal.
Every year, the RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) takes in close to 50,000 reports of animal mistreatment in Australia and about 150,000 in England and in Wales (RSPCA, 2013). However, these figures do not include the cases when mistreatment is not reported which, according to the RSPCA, happens almost as often as the ones recorded (RSPCA, 2013). Maltreatment occurs when an animal is tormented or harmed, imprisoned or transported from one place to another in a manner that risks their well-being and health. Killing them in a non-humane way, not providing them with the correct food, not taking care of them or the illness and injuries they may have, and not providing them with proper shelter or adequate living circumstances are also forms of cruelty. In 2013 the RSPCA investigated 4,000 more cases in Australia than in the previous year; statistics also show that in the United Kingdom, on average, every thirty seconds someone dials the Organization’s 24-hour cruelty line seeking for help (RSPCA, 2013). This indicates that animal mistreatment is a growing issue that has effects not only on the victims, but also on the perpetrator, the people involved in rescuing and saving the animals’ life, and every other individual that gets touched by their stories. Thus, considering that abusing animals is against our moral and ethical obligation of protecting our planet and the forms of life in it, including animal life, it is an issue that is happening considerably often. However, thankfully for the animals, there are also organizations and laws opposing and fighting against animal cruelty to save the victims and to put an end to it. Global organizations such as the RSPCA, ALDF, PETA, WSPA, among other...