I have to say it, I do like real fur. It's warm and look better than the faux ones, I don't think I would feel comfortable or good by buying it though. Recently, I started wearing my mom's old fur cape from the 80's, it looks amazing and like something you would find in stores right now! I told my aunt and my friend that it was actually real fur and not fake, they looked at me in horror and told me I was disgusting because I have a dog and always loved animals. The fact is that...I eat meat and the people who 'shamed' me do too. I wear real leather on my shoes, pants and jacket and they do too. I use skincare and make up that is probably tested on animals and so do them, so what's the difference when it comes to wearing fur? I understand something like this coming from a vegan, but why there is so much stigma around it from people who do not care at all, eat meat and wear leather?
Real fur, thoughts?
- Thread starter marieebo
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I have a lot of vintage furs and I get shit sometimes be here's the thing:
It's already dead. It's been dead for a long time. We can throw it in the landfill or we can treasure it and use it for decades to come.
I wouldn't buy any new (even though I want to because the real stuff is so wonderful). I think a lot of the animal cruelty hysteria can be well meaning but, unless you're a Jain monk, walking hunched because you're sweeping the ground in front of you with a little broom to ensure you don't step on a bug, all life has to take and kill to survive. Mice are ground in crop combines, bugs are in our food. Is a faux fur, made of polyester (derived from oil), really a more humane choice given the environmental destruction, resources, and pollution it requires to make it? The wars we fight for that oil? Probably not. But it sounds nicer.
And after I say this, they never have anything else and just walk away.
It's already dead. It's been dead for a long time. We can throw it in the landfill or we can treasure it and use it for decades to come.
I wouldn't buy any new (even though I want to because the real stuff is so wonderful). I think a lot of the animal cruelty hysteria can be well meaning but, unless you're a Jain monk, walking hunched because you're sweeping the ground in front of you with a little broom to ensure you don't step on a bug, all life has to take and kill to survive. Mice are ground in crop combines, bugs are in our food. Is a faux fur, made of polyester (derived from oil), really a more humane choice given the environmental destruction, resources, and pollution it requires to make it? The wars we fight for that oil? Probably not. But it sounds nicer.
And after I say this, they never have anything else and just walk away.
I guess I feel the same about fur as python. I have three pairs of python shoes and boots. They're amazing. Anyone who wants to cry to me about the poor python will get one of the boots in their librul face.
Who cares what others think. They'll always be people complaining/disagree or will be unhappy about some of your life choices. Also there's animal products everywhere, even in our new £5 notes. What do I do? Don't accept any £5 notes?
I'm a vegetarian and I do wear leather and fur. I will also buy one if I like something. I also can't go avoiding leather because it's everywhere.
I love animals too, it's the reason why I become a vegetarian in the first place, but I do not go around condemning people if they're not and there's only so much that I can do without making myself unhappy. Plus I'll be too cold without these things.
I'm a vegetarian and I do wear leather and fur. I will also buy one if I like something. I also can't go avoiding leather because it's everywhere.
I love animals too, it's the reason why I become a vegetarian in the first place, but I do not go around condemning people if they're not and there's only so much that I can do without making myself unhappy. Plus I'll be too cold without these things.
Vintage fur coats are lovely. I would never buy a new fur coat, but I wish I could wear the mink I inherited without fear of persecution.
I was vegetarian for 6 yrs and vegan on-and-off, but you'd still have to pry a JW Hulme leather bag from my cold dead fingers.
I was vegetarian for 6 yrs and vegan on-and-off, but you'd still have to pry a JW Hulme leather bag from my cold dead fingers.
I agree with everyone here - I have no qualms about wearing or buying fur that's second hand, however if I was ever in a position to buy new fur I would do a bit of research to make sure I wasn't contributing to the shittier parts of the fur industry. I'm no vegetarian (love me a steak) but this video made me second guess which types of woolen sweaters I would be buying for winter:
I've had an issue too concerning fur, I have a fur coat that is beautiful and amazing in the winter, but there has been a huge wave of anti fur protests in my city, Geneva (which is not that huge but very well know for being wealthy, fur is far from being rare) and there is always a nervous feeling at the back of my head for wearing fur since protests are pretty much 24/7
Personally, and maybe it is because faux fur and leather is used so much in lower-end cloting, I think that real leather and real fur are just seem and feel to me to be higher quality, warmer, and just feel more luxurious. I think you make an extremely valid point - the same people that are critical of "cruelty to animals" but are more than happy to chow down on a big mac totally fail to see the hypocrisy.
In my opinion, the fur industry is cruel.
The concept of fur is similar to that of leather and meat, thus I can understand why it doesn't faze most people. What bothers me are the methods and conditions the animals are kept in.
The concept of fur is similar to that of leather and meat, thus I can understand why it doesn't faze most people. What bothers me are the methods and conditions the animals are kept in.
There is nothing else like mink. And if you take good care of it, store it properly (NOT in dry cleaner's bags) it will last for generations.
Also now with sites like esty, so much vintage mink is available at great prices, there is no need to buy it new.
Also now with sites like esty, so much vintage mink is available at great prices, there is no need to buy it new.
I have a vintage raccoon coat that gets me through the winter--I literally don't feel any wind when I wear it, and I have yet to find another material that is as warm. Not to mention it looks amazing and makes me feel superior to all the plebeians trudging around in their lumpy down jackets.
I guess the argument one might make is that there's a difference between killing an animal for sustenance vs fashion, and that leather is often made from animals we already eat for food. But (based on 2 min of research I just conducted) the leather industry doesn't only use byproducts from the food industry, and animals in both industries are subjected to terrible cruelty anyway.
So basically I believe individuals are allowed to feel however they want about wearing fur for themselves, but they have no right to judge others. Even if you're 100% vegan and don't ever buy leather, there's still the wool industry, cotton grown in fields that plow through wildlife homes, basically all kinds of construction, oil/natural gas drilling, cosmetics...
I guess the argument one might make is that there's a difference between killing an animal for sustenance vs fashion, and that leather is often made from animals we already eat for food. But (based on 2 min of research I just conducted) the leather industry doesn't only use byproducts from the food industry, and animals in both industries are subjected to terrible cruelty anyway.
So basically I believe individuals are allowed to feel however they want about wearing fur for themselves, but they have no right to judge others. Even if you're 100% vegan and don't ever buy leather, there's still the wool industry, cotton grown in fields that plow through wildlife homes, basically all kinds of construction, oil/natural gas drilling, cosmetics...
I think it's OK to own 1-2 fur coats especially if you actually live somewhere freezing and especially if it's already vintage-might as well keep using it! If someone has a collection of 10+ I might think it was a bit excessive. If I lived somewhere regularly below 0 degrees, and fur was warm, I'd sure as hell own one too and thank the lil' animals daily for keeping me warm. I wouldn't mind owning one fur coat and wearing it my whole life...assuming I lived somewhere really, really damn cold.
I've been to a fox and mink farm once and it was horrible. The animals were basically eating themselves and eachother. The animals were killed with electricity or gas, but my relative who worked there said that previously they used to do like a "deadly injection", which actually was some kid of substance which very slowly suffocated animals to death.
I personally don't judge anyone who wears fur, but I do think that everyone should now the real cost of fur.
I personally don't judge anyone who wears fur, but I do think that everyone should now the real cost of fur.
I wear fur and leather but tend to try not to buy "exotic fur/skins" (not really because of the animal justice aspect, per se, more because these animals are often endangered) and prefer vintage fur, just because it's more sustainable. All of the weird toxic chemicals used to make/test fake fur creeps me out even more, and it feels awful. I don't care at all about what other people wear though--there are way bigger issues in the world.
I accidentally bought an alpaca wool coat at a thrift store, and it's been a blessing in colder months. In some temperatures, fur helps like nothing else. And at least the animal's serving a longer function than being someone's dinner.
And I haven't eaten meat in 7 years. If people wanna save animals, I'd think they're better off convincing people to change their diet. Ruining my coat isn't gonna un-dead the alpaca.
And I haven't eaten meat in 7 years. If people wanna save animals, I'd think they're better off convincing people to change their diet. Ruining my coat isn't gonna un-dead the alpaca.
Not to offend anyone, but first and foremost I find fur to be absolutely horrible looking and I always associate it with rich Russian "wifes" strolling through Vienna's inner city and a lifestyle that absolutely disgusts me (that consequently comprises fake fur, too).
That being said, if one is ok with eating animal products and wearing leather, then it's kind of weird to be totally against fur because of ethical reasons. I think some people believe it's chic to call themselves animal lovers and underline that with being against fur. I mean it's pretty easy to avoid and can be replaced by fake fur relatively authentically, while leather is almost everywhere and eating meat is hard to give up for most people.
A red line for me are skins of animals that are threatened to become extinct. I get that rarity might make something more attractive, but is it really necessary to contribute to the extinction of a rare species just to serve one's vanity?
That being said, if one is ok with eating animal products and wearing leather, then it's kind of weird to be totally against fur because of ethical reasons. I think some people believe it's chic to call themselves animal lovers and underline that with being against fur. I mean it's pretty easy to avoid and can be replaced by fake fur relatively authentically, while leather is almost everywhere and eating meat is hard to give up for most people.
A red line for me are skins of animals that are threatened to become extinct. I get that rarity might make something more attractive, but is it really necessary to contribute to the extinction of a rare species just to serve one's vanity?
My thoughts. I just don't like the style, and I always feel awkward wearing even faux fur.
Although posts about it being really warm might just convince me...
Talking about mink, other than using the fur, the flesh is used for the cosmetic industry (yes, your lipstick might contain mink oil)