Thank You Planet Blue!
Friday, March 23, 2012
Thank You Planet Blue!
I'm very happy to announce that Planet Blue has contacted me and cleared up the issue regarding the fox fur trimmed parka I found in their store yesterday. I hope that Planet Blue will be more careful next time, but I appreciate their honesty. Thank you Planet Blue for getting back to me so quickly and apologizing. Planet Blue's promise to remain fur free validates that there are stores working to put compassion in fashion. This gives me so much hope. You see INTERMIX, this is how it's done! (I hope that dress I was eyeing before I stormed out of there is still available...) Time to get shopping!
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Exciting News From Dolls Kill
I got some very exciting news today. A representative at Dolls Kill contacted me and we spoke about our campaign and the possibility of Dolls Kill becoming a fur free retailer. Their representative told me that they were not previously aware of the true horrors of the fur trade, but this fur free campaign has educated them and motivated them to stop selling fur. I'm happy to announce that it is very likely that they will be replacing their real fur tails with faux alternatives.
Foxtails are a big part of their revenue, so Dolls Kill hasn't stopped selling foxtails yet, but as soon as they can find a replacement, they will. However, they did pull those Raccoon suspenders from their store, so I'm very hopeful that it won't be long. Right after I got off the phone, I put them in contact with a few contacts of mine that are faux fur experts, so hopefully they can make the switch asap.
Now that Dolls Kill has agreed to work with us, I'm going to back off campaigning, and focus on working with them while they make the switch to faux. Seeing as they're still selling fur, I can't officially endorse anyone to shop there, but if they're willing to work with us, I can very well see Fur Free LA supporting them in the future. As I said, my intention is never to "take stores down." When stores do reach out to us, we're more than happy to work with them and be as cooperative as we can be. Three cheers for Dolls Kill! I highly recommend reaching out to Dolls Kill and thanking them beginning to make the switch. They should be applauded as they work on putting compassion back in fashion!
I'll keep you posted when I hear more.
Monday, March 12, 2012
I'm an Animal Activist, So I Must Not Care About People
I find it to be most amusing when people choose to attack animal rights activists for not caring about people. I'm a person too. Does that mean I don't care about myself, my friends and family, or the rest of the world because I spoke out against animal cruelty? As to say our dedication and passion to one cause is a clear indication that we don't care about anything else. "What about the children in Africa?" Well, what about the children in Africa? Are you an activist for African children? Just because I'm outspoken about animal rights, doesn't mean I don't think capturing Kony is a worthy cause. Who is to say I don't think helping children born with a cleft palate or any other birth defect is worthwhile?
I may not know as much about every cause, but to call me careless for speaking out on one thing is quite ridiculous. I try to make conscious choices about every aspect of my life. I really don't think it's fair to rip into me about being focused simply because you're threatened by what I have to say. Frankly, that kind of attack is a clear indication to me that your argument is weak. When activists focus on a specific issue, it doesn't mean they don't care about anything else, it means they're focused and knowledgeable about an issue. If you're talking about it, it means they're effective.
At Fur Free LA, we get attacked for focusing on fur and "not caring" about other animals. I once had another activist tell me he could not support our organization because we do not include exotic skins and leather into our campaign. I'm vegan. I haven't touched an animal product in ten years. Really? There is a quote from Vegan.com on whether banning fur and not leather is hypocritical that I find very fitting:
"Anyone who frets that backing a fur ban is hypocritical has succumbed to all-or-nothing thinking, and is not representing the animals’ best interests. The table of existing animal cruelty is extravagantly set, and can only be cleared one plate at a time. Any opportunity to remove a plate should always be immediately taken."
We're effective because we're specific. Attention to detail shouldn't be assumed as not caring about other matters. Nor should it be assumed that that attention to one topic doesn't influence other animal issues. Could I have gotten Planet Blue or LF Stores to stop selling fur if I blogged about the cruelty of the fur trade in general? No. Nor could I have gotten them to stop selling fur if I asked them to stop selling all animal products all together. One thing at a time.
I've always believed fur to be a gateway issue to all other animal rights. Fur in fashion is completely frivolous, but animals killed for their fur are no different than animals killed for their meat. I may be focused on one issue, and go even further by focusing that issue on a specific retailer, but that doesn't mean my greater goal isn't to protect all beings great and small. If I were an advocate for breast cancer, would that mean I don't care about lung cancer or skin cancer? Of course not. I happen to know a lot about animals and I also know a lot about fashion. I'm using what I know to make a difference.
I'm an activist at heart. I care deeply about things. I'm doing something about it. Look around you. Is anyone else? Are you? Usually the difference between someone like myself and the person who criticizes me, is that while I might fall short of being that perfect vegan humanitarian, at least I'm doing something, and I look a hell of a lot better standing next to someone who doesn't even try.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Shit Omnivores Say
I normally don't go on a vegan rants like these, but on days when I'm bombarded with preachy, mean spirited omnivores, its cathartic. I really can't stand it when omnivores say shit like "meat is murder, tasty murder." "You vegetarians are eating my food's food." Do you know how ignorant and cruel that makes you sound? Maybe if we weren't so disassociated with where our food comes from, you'd think twice before saying such things. There's a damn good reason I'm vegan and I won't have any meat eating bullies put me down for being compassionate.
People like to attack vegans for shoving our propaganda in your face. While I don't think being preachy is an effective form of conversion, I do think it's a bit silly to claim that we're the ones doing all the preaching when the big agriculture companies control our media and politicians. Tell me, when was the last time you saw an advertisement for Gardein, and when was the last time you saw an advertisement for McDonalds? You're lovin' it because you're bombarded with propaganda that tell you to. Dog forbid a man eats a kale salad instead of a burger without the "real men eat meat" BS. Big agriculture companies have lobbyists like Rick Berman and a corrupted FDA on their side that keep those mythologies alive and on supermarket shelves.
Corn is subsidized by the government. It's not good for the land or the animals, but it's cheap, so that's what livestock are fed. Due to their poor diet and filthy living conditions, slaughterhouse animals are also fed a diet full of antibiotics and hormones. The antibiotics keep them from getting sick, and the hormones fatten them up so they can get more meat out of each animal. So no, I'm not eating your food's food. Your food is consuming the world's food. 50% percent of our farm land is used to feed animals on factory farms. If there were more vegetarians, we could feed more people. Veganism is not a first world luxury. In many countries meat is rationed, so people eat vegetarian because it's all they can afford. Asian and Indian cultures have more of a plant based diet. They also have significantly smaller ass cheeks than Americans because of it.
Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in this country. Our diet is what's killing us. Not only that, due to the amount of preservatives we eat, it actually takes longer for our bodies to decompose after death. That cheap corn that we feed our livestock is also made into high fructose corn syrup, another culprit of our obesity epidemic.
As a vegan, I don't live off of strawberries and lettuce. I have a huge variety of delicious foods I can eat that have zero animal products in them. For my friends that know me well, I have to admit I am a picky eater, but that doesn't mean the options aren't there. They are. Add a little kale into your diet. Your body will thank you for it. I choose not to eat bacon because I value a pig's life more than my own gluttony. Bacon had a mom. I couldn't live with myself knowing I was supporting that kind of cruelty. I don't miss animal products. In fact, I get nauseous if I smell BBQ or fish.
The dairy industry tells us that "Milk is from happy cows." If you don't drink milk, you won't get enough calcium because "milk builds strong bones." If we were meant to drink cow's milk, why are 60% of adults lactose intolerant? And why is there such a large market for digestive aids? Cow's milk is meant for a baby calf to grow up into a 2,000 lb cow. Nature didn't intend for us to suck on cow's utters. Organic milk is no different than regular cow's milk. The production is still the same, they're only fed organic feed. If you still drink cow's milk it's probably because you haven't had almond milk. Try it, its delicious.
There are a chockfull of health reasons not to drink milk, but the main reason vegans choose not to drink milk is because the dairy industry directly supports the veal industry. Cows have to be lactating in order to produce milk, so factory farms keep impregnating them. Males can't produce milk, so they're ripped away from their mother just hours after birth, sent to a veal farm where they'll live in a tiny crate for the rest of their lives before they're killed at a young age while their meat is still tender.
We're raised to believe farm animals are stupid, but they're not. Pigs are actually smarter than dogs, but they've been unlucky enough to be labeled as food and not as a companion animal. My family adopted chickens when I was seven. That's also the age I stopped eating chicken. They were my pets. They followed me around like I was mama hen, and I'm lucky to have had them in my life. As vegans we often hear, "I totally support what you're doing, but I just can't live without (insert animal product)." You can live without bacon or cheese. I do. You just don't want to. That's the difference.
Another myth is that vegans are anemic and that we're tired all the time from very little options to eat. That simply is not true. I've got lots of energy. I'm fit. My skin doesn't break out, and I'm happy. I love my lifestyle and I wouldn't want to live any other way. I sleep well at night knowing my diet and lifestyle don't contribute to any animal cruelty. Frankly, the hardest part about being vegan is dealing with ignorant omnivores who try to put me down. It's easier to bully me for being a vegan than deal with their own guilty conscience.
I'm not calling you a bad person for eating meat, but don't be a dick because of it. I'm very careful to bring up my veganism in a polite way. Making an omnivore feel bad won't make them go vegan, but showing them how a vegan lifestyle can make a difference can. Even if you're not a vegetarian, at least be respectful of the animals that sacrificed their lives for your dinner. If you're going to continue to eat meat, do your research on where your food comes from and understand the process of how your meat got on your plate.
Please don't make snide comments without doing your research. I'm always respectful, but if you bully me, understand I will shred your opinionated argument apart with my facts. I'm not the kind of person who puts up with other people's crap. I did my research and that's why I've been a vegan for 10 years. It will be 10 years this October, and I'm very proud of that. I'm glad I got that out of my system. Now it's time to get animal products out of yours.
La Belle Nuage on Facebook, Twitter, flickr, Tumblr, Google+, foursquare, Pinterest and instagram.
La Belle Nuage on Facebook, Twitter, flickr, Tumblr, Google+, foursquare, Pinterest and instagram.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
True Religion: Please Go Fur Free... Again
True Religion was on The Humane Society’s list of fur free retailers, but they’ve gone back on their promise and have begun selling fur. Not only have they lied to consumers, but they’re getting their fur from China, a country with virtually no animal protection laws, and some of the worst animal cruelty we’ve ever seen. Animals killed for their fur on Chinese fur farms are kept in tiny, filthy cages before they are beaten, anally electrocuted, and in many cases, skinned alive…
The fur vest was labeled as “Raccoon Fur”. However, raccoon’s are not native to China, but Raccoon dogs
are. Raccoon Dogs are a fox-like nocturnal residents of Asian and
northern European forests that bear a remarkable resemblance to
raccoons. Despite they’re resemblance to Raccoons, they are part of the
canine family.
I've started a petition, and in half a day our petition has recieved over 1,500 signatures. Let's keep that number going up. Like all of our Fur Free LA campaigns, we don't stop until until we have official word that they're fur free again. Please urge True Religion to go back to their promise of being fur free retailer, and continue to support compassion in fashion.
Please sign & share the petition HERE: http://chn.ge/zzaUmb
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