Your fur style - please read thread guidelines in post #1 before posting

[The_Ida]

I love fur. I don't see what's wrong with wearing it, or how that would be incorrect in any way.

 

[MariaT89]

i just think people get to dramatic over the subject... i mean i understand and feel bad for the little animals but then i will have to feel bad about eating a steak or buying a pair of leather shoes...

 

[fashionista-ta]

The more I learn about animals, the more I believe that they are in essence the same as we are ... without all the verbal language skills and cognitive ability that allows us to come up with ever more ingenious ways of destroying each other. The other thing I've noticed about my dogs is that, unlike people, they don't lie to me or try to deceive me. So in several ways I think animals are our moral superiors ...

If you truly can't understand why anyone would object ... how would you feel about clothing made of human "leather"?

The biggest difference between humans and animals is that humans are in charge. As of now ... in the case of a human-created nuclear winter, I believe cockroaches would probably become the dominant species

 

[tangerine]

But cockroaches are evolutionarily perfect, and are unlikely to need or want human leather jackets!

Although, they would probably look cool.

On cockroaches, I mean.

 

[The_Ida]

Well, humans aren't as deliciously hairy as some animals I think people are absolute hypocrites if they wear leather but think fur is bad, btw. They are still wearing the skin of a dead animal, so...wtf?

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ This is the difference in my mind ... in my climate there is no one (except perhaps someone sleeping under a bridge in the dead of winter) who needs a fur coat. Leather OTOH is incredibly functional for shoes, which we do need--it's very difficult for toxic, unsustainable materials like PVC to compete.

And tang, I agree that the cockroaches will probably stick with the armor they're born with--it seems to work quite well for them And they're in luck, as the very thought of cockroach wing accessories makes me shudder

 

[tangerine]

This is not my area of expertise, but I believe that if anyone wanted to search this thread, they would find lengthy explanations of the difference in quality of life between animals whose skin is used for leather and those farmed for fur, in some cases, anyway.

There are such things as living beetle brooches! But I digress...

 

[ravensWood]

Well, humans aren't as deliciously hairy as some animals I think people are absolute hypocrites if they wear leather but think fur is bad, btw. They are still wearing the skin of a dead animal, so...wtf?

I think the main issue here is that in many countries wearing fur for warmth is completely unnecessary (and in others it is essential) and thus if you are wearing fur purely for fashion or appearance it is worse then leather because animals used for fur are rarely used for anything else such as food. For example a fox or a mink are skinned only for their skins but a cow will have more parts of it used after it is killed (humans really are horrible).

That is how I have always understood the difference between the two - fur and leather.

 

[june gloom]

^ This is the difference in my mind ... in my climate there is no one (except perhaps someone sleeping under a bridge in the dead of winter) who needs a fur coat. Leather OTOH is incredibly functional for shoes, which we do need--it's very difficult for toxic, unsustainable materials like PVC to compete.

I completely agree

 

[Kaki]

I actually don't see a difference in leather or fur, because I think if one is arguing for animal rights - which is usually the case in fur debates - then it is immoral to kill an animal for any reason, including food (which is just one reason why I believe humans alone are entitled to rights). I do think leather has more uses than fur (in more parts of the world), but I don't believe it's an issue of convenience, I think it's an issue of ethics.

And just to point out - someone a few pages ago brought up the idea of an "unnecessary luxury" - but a "necessary luxury" is an oxymoron.

Personally, I'd wear fur if I could afford it. I have no moral issues with it.

 

[The_Ida]

I think the main issue here is that in many countries wearing fur for warmth is completely unnecessary (and in others it is essential) and thus if you are wearing fur purely for fashion or appearance it is worse then leather because animals used for fur are rarely used for anything else such as food. For example a fox or a mink are skinned only for their skins but a cow will have more parts of it used after it is killed (humans really are horrible).

That is how I have always understood the difference between the two - fur and leather.

Does it really matter what the remains are used for? You're still wearing a dead animal, but one dead animal is better than another dead animal? No, I don't buy into that. And don't you wear leather for fashion purposes?

 

[Lovin_It]

Like I could say no to this !!!!!!

http://www.fur-style.prjcts.com/seasons/2006_b/larger/JMacDonald_WCFFW06_0396.JPG

 

[tangerine]

Please keep in mind that while disagreement is fine, disrespect is not.

Please make sure your comments are not rude or dismissive.

Thanks for your participation.

 

[Spike413]

Some interesting points made, on both sides.

My whole issue with the people, and not necessarily in here but in general with regard to this issue, who bring up the whole leather vs. fur thing is this. I'm sure that the percentage of people who wear snakeskin is much larger than that of people who eat snake meat. Same with alligator, crocodile, goat, buckstin, stingray, iguana etc. All of those animals become handbags, shoes, belts, wallets, and even clothes....but it's rare that anyone includes them when speaking of "leather". And nobody needs a snakeskin bag, it's no more functional than fabric or cow leather. I just can't see leather being fine and fur being wrong. For diehard animal lovers it'd be like having your steak and eating it too (forgive the pun, it was too easy).

That's really my main issue with PETA and their ilk, they only seem to give a crap about the fluffy little rodent-y animals. Why is it more brutal for them to be skinned, cause they're cute?

 

[fashionista-ta]

I notice all the people who don't see shades of grey are pro-fur

To me, native Americans are a great model for how to treat animals with respect. They killed buffalo only when they had to (OK, perhaps that's debateable, but the hunt was a relatively rare occurrence, vs the mass slaughter that happened later when white folks decided buffalo robes and blankets were hot), they regarded them with reverence, and then they used everything, down to the teeth.

Also, each native American has an animal totem, so they continually think about what they have in common with animals.

There is no question that animals are sentient. Think about if it were you--wouldn't it make a difference to you whether all of you was being used to sustain life, vs a small part of you taken and used & the rest tossed to the side? There's a huge difference in one approach that shows respect, and the other that doesn't ...

 

[baguette]

I love animals but people from PETA sometimes are over the top. They are actually scary and annoying.

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ I don't disagree with you, as a guy I work with always says

I think you have to accept that we are all at different points on our individual journeys, and how we view animals goes hand in hand with that ... getting all militant and tossing blood around isn't really very evolved behavior, and it's hard to see how it's going to open anyone's mind ... as you say, it's scary.

 

[jnnybe]

I hate to say this... but I love REAL FURS.....
but I only buy them in vintage stores....
Fake Furs will never be the same.

 

[Multitudes]

...
Ooh, I don't like fur. This sentiment is based solely on aesthetic reasons.

 

[vetements]

moral and ethics aside, i think fur is lovely. It certainly looks good aesthetically and feels soft.
and honestly, i agree with Spike, i also dont see what s the difference between killing an animal for food, for leather or for fur.
and i have heard that top quality leather are farmed solely for the hide (not sure if they decide to eat the meat later, but i guess not since probably the way it was being reared is different).