To support murder and then flaunt a dead person around as a fashion accessory is disgusting. I will admit I had worn fur and animal products. It was a social norm that was encouraged by society. Unfortunately, the industry has created the idea that it is acceptable and a ‘luxury’ for consumers to wear fur. Yes, fur is beautiful and everyone wants to feel beautiful… but this is a vulnerability that the fashion industry is fully aware of.

We see media advertisements that promote a thin and flawless appearance. This appearance is often photoshopped and only applies to a specific ‘look’ such as being thin, tall, with smooth hair, or flawless skin. We are a species of many variables in our appearance and the average person cannot achieve these looks no matter how hard they try. Leaving many people feeling insecure and as if they cannot be beautiful because they do not look like the people published in media advertisements.

However, just because someone is insecure it doesn’t justify the murder of an innocent being to make ourselves feel better about our physical appearance. We may not be able to physically stop industries from killing animals for their own profit but we have the power to stop supporting them. Here is some critical reason why it is so important to stop supporting the fur industry.

Fur Industry Information:
1. It is currently legal to use anal and genital electrocution to murder fur-bearing animals (except in New York). Here is what this electrocution looks like, click here for a video.
2. 85% of the fur industry’s skins come from animals held captive on fur factory farms. Farms consisting of animals severely crowded in unsanitary wire cages and skinned alive [1].
3. There are 0 penalties for those who abuse animals on fur farms in China. China is the world’s largest fur exporter.
4. In China, more than 2 million cats and hundreds of thousands of dogs are killed for their fur on fur farms.
5. Fur is often mislabelled and sold to consumers as faux or from a different species such as a dog or cat. Video footage here. News publishing here. If you want to learn more about how to physically tell if the fur is real or faux please watch this video by the Humane Society.
6. Fur farming is harmful to the environment. Wastes from this mass production of animals pollute rivers and streams nearby, which goes into our air and so on…

On a lighter note, here is some footage of animals who were enslaved in the fur industry but were rescued (click here for the video). Still feeling guilty? If you have any fur please consider donating it to a rescue group or sanctuary for orphaned animals. This fur will keep them warm and comfort them in the absence of their mother. A great way to give it back to the animals instead of tossing it out.

References:
1. International Fur Trade Federation, “Fur Farming,” last accessed 6 Jan 2016.