Soon all over New York there will be billboards with a sexy Penelope Cruz saying that she gives fur “the cold shoulder” in a new ad by animal rights group PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals).
She joins First Lady Michelle Obama, former model and wife to the president of France Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, Oprah Winfrey, Eva Mendes and Olivia Munn (who recently bared all in a “I’d rather go naked than wear fur” ad for the organization). I love and fully support what they’re all doing, but I have a confession: I still wear fur.
Growing up with a Russian mom (and Cuban dad) who was used to really cold winters, when I moved to New York City for school she equipped me with plenty of clothes to keep me warmer. In Europe wearing fur is no bigger a deal than whether you choose to be a vegetarian or not. Many people wear fur and leather simply because it’s needed to keep us warm. Although I’ve never owned a fur coat, I’ve usually had fur accessories and fur-lined boots to snuggle into when it’s 10 degrees outside.
It’s all about personal choice for me, really. I don’t like to wear fur coats but I see no problem with wearing a fur hat or a fur-trimmed coat. If it makes me look good and keeps me a little warmer, then why not? I despise celebrities (and regular people) that talk about the bad parts of wearing fur and yet they wear leather all the time. What’s the difference between one product coming from an animal over another? I’d rather make my own decision than go along with the fur-hating-leather-wearing crowd.
I am very careful about my fur choices. The same way that I choose to eat vegetarian meals 90% of the time and buy sustainable, organic, fresh-from-the-farmer’s-market produce as much as possible, I make the same good environmental choices when it comes to buying fur or leather. Whenever I can, I make sure that the company is using best practices for sustainability or even shop vintage.
In the end, my choice to wear fur is all about me. I make a lot of good-for-the-world choices (like eating less meat, buying sustainable food and volunteering at an animal shelter), so I don’t feel guilty about also retaining my fashion sense with fur-lined boots. Since they keep my toes from freezing off, it's just one concession that I can live with.
Do you wear fur or are you against using animal products?
Image via PETA
