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.
Another key resource in the attraction to Canada was the fur that was available. In the 17th and 18th century, fur was in high demand in Europe. Fur pelts were seen as fashionable, and of high value at the time. Beavers were a main provider of fur pelts, and were decreasing in amount within Europe, due to the high demand and mass production of these fur pelts in Europe. This relates to why the Europeans were very motivated to trade with Canadians, as these fur pelts would have been of high value and demand in Europe, creating a boost in the economy and profit for the merchants. In Europe around 1600, North American fur was also seen as of higher quality than European fur, thus concluding that in many ways North American fur was of a greater value and ‘superior’ to fur originating in Europe. These were main reasons that
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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 ...
Kirk, Sylvia. Many tender ties: women in fur-trade society, 1670-1870. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 19831980.
Seeing maimed animals are not pleasant images. Those images sometimes appear across computer and television screens. The advocacy groups who place these images in the public’s view are trying to jolt people into the realization that abuse exists. For every ten seconds that goes by an animal is getting abused (“Animal… Statistics”). One statistic states that “71% of pet-owning women entering women’s shelters reported that their batterer had injured, maimed, killed or threatened family pets for revenge or to psychologically control victims; 32% reported their children had hurt or killed animals” (“Animal… Violence”). Animal cruelty comes in several forms, some of which people do not know. There is animal experimenting, animal abuse, and mistreatment of animals. and through revealing the results from research, one discovers the horrific effects of animal abuse.
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.
Tom Regan, “The Case for Animal Rights,” in In Defense of Animals, ed. Peter Singer (Oxford:
Fur Farms are buildings that function to hold animals, mostly small species such as foxes and minks, until they are ready to be skinned. From fur farms, the fur is then bought by fashion industries to be used for clothing. “There are fur farms located all over the world, however, 73% of those fur farms happen to be found in certain European countries” (“The Fur Industry”). Back in the stone ages, fur only had one purpose which was to keep warm. There was no fashion involved, just human instinct and survival. Somehow, the idea of wearing fur has turned into a fashion trend and is a very popular way of dressing. Laws against animal fur farming vary within countries. For example, the United States has very few vague laws concerning the process of fur farms, while China has virtually none. “However, some countries have taken the step to completely ban the fur farms such as Croatia and the United Kingdom” (Peterson). The globalization of...
There are common cases of animal abuse in everyday life, such as: hunting, poaching, factory farming, rodeos, and the industries that offer authentic fur, leather, feathers, and wool. The industries that use authentic animal hide have no excuse for not finding a suitable substitute. Honestly, there is no reason why the skin of animal is to be used in clothing other than the fact that is considered “fasion.” There are also cases of animal abuse that are celebrated as a cherished tradition. For example, the sport fox-hunting is very popular; families often train the younger generation in the proper technique of fox-hunting so that the tradition may live on (Nurse, 2013). Although it is an important tradition to some, the torture and death of an animal is nothing to be commended or celebrated. In Margit Livingston’s article "Desecrating the Ark: Animal Abuse and The Law 's Role in Prevention" she goes on to point out how animal abuse is often viewed as an owner’s right of exercising dominion or even entertainment. Furthermore, she states that, “today, only a scant majority of state jurisdictions provide for felony-level penalties for intentional animal abuse.” Because animal abuse has been viewed so lowly throughout history, there are not proper laws in place to prevent such atrocities from occurring. The abuse of innocent creatures is not an “exercise of dominion.” Humans have no right to treat earth’s other inhabitants’ lives as if they are worth less than a human’s life. Proper procedures need to be put into action in order to protect the weak and defenseless from those that are stronger (Livingston,
To begin with, I will look at each of the two subjects. Fashion is an extremely large subject with many sub-categories and can mean many different things, however in this essay I will take fashion to mean the popular clothing style. I will put emphasis on looking at high fashion as these are the leaders of their field. Fashion itself though, is not to be confused with clothing. Clothing is a part of fashion, but it is predominantly purely functional, for protection from different aspects of the environment. Fashion however, is primarily for image. It is a way to present individuality and personality. A physical mouldable form of expression. Designers wish to create works of art that can be worn, and this is wear clothing becomes an art form.
There was a combination of different literature found that easily pertains to the issue addressed in this paper. This broadly classified literature includes the history and background of PETA’s organization, an analysis of the use of celebrity icons in the anti-fur campaign and the different perspectives and criticism depicted in their messages.
Animal abuse is a travesty in our world that must be stopped. Every year, millions of animals suffer because of human actions, directly or indirectly. Whether it’s abused dogs and cats or even mistreated circus animals, their suffering is as real as it would be if it happened to us. Even animals who are raised on farms simply for human consumption should not have to suffer. One of the worst parts of humanity’s role in animal abuse is that there are easy ways for people to help that they are either ignorant of or simply refuse to do. There are many examples of animals who are abused by humans, but there are also ways for people to help prevent and put an end to animal abuse.
Clothing has been around for thousands of years; almost as long as the modern human has. At first, it served the practical purpose of protection from the elements; but, as life for early humans stopped being a constant struggle to survive, they started noticing how they looked and the concept of fashion began to take shape. These first few garments were typically dyed draped cloth that was pinned at the shoulder and/or waist. This was seen in many ancient civilizations around the world, Greek and Roman the most notable. Over time, clothing began to get more and more complex and formed to the body’s shape, eventually leading up to the tailored style we now have today. However, the sophisticated world of Haute Couture; or high fashion, can distinctly trace its roots to Paris during the mid-19th century. Clothing from there was thought to be superior to those from anywhere else, and women began to come from all over Europe just to buy dresses. This was probably due in part to one notable dressm...