Written by Michelle Kretzer
"I was definitely one of those people that wore fur," Evelyn Lozada admits. But the Basketball Wives star had a change of heart after seeing footage of how animals killed for their fur are beaten and skinned alive.
"I was looking online, and I [saw] how these animals are tortured and skinned, and you don't really realize the hurt and the pain that they go through just for fashion. And I want to be a voice for them."
So Evelyn posed for a skintillating ad shot by top celebrity photographer Drexina Nelson for PETA, which she unveiled during the peak holiday shopping season to ask everyone to leave fur off their lists.
Now, as a proud card-carrying PETA member, Evelyn enjoys eating meat-free meals and advocating for animal rights.
She even turned her birthday party at Hollywood hot spot Supperclub into a release party for the ad, where all her friends and fans in attendance got an education about the cruelty of the fur trade.
"You can verbalize what happens to these animals a thousand times, but [when] you see it, it definitely clicks in—and it did for me," she said.
Has it clicked for you? Take PETA's pledge to be fur-free and help us show the fur industry that even former fur-wearers aren't buying it anymore.
Written by PETA
Before Pamela Anderson, before Eva Mendes, before Dennis Rodman, there were the Go-Go's. The iconic ladies of pop-punk weren't just pioneers for women in music, they were also animal rights innovators, as the first celebs to proclaim that they would rather go naked than wear fur.
Gina Schock, Kathy Valentine, Belinda Carlisle, Jane Wiedlin, and Charlotte Caffey were music to animals' ears when they launched PETA's "naked" ad campaign in 1991.
Today, as the Go-Go's are being honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, PETA would like to celebrate them, too, for getting our "rather go naked" campaign go-go-going and inspiring people all around the world to follow their beat. What will you do to celebrate being fur-free?
Written by Michelle Sherrow
Well, here it is—your very own backstage pass to the photo shoot for PETA's yet-to-be-released "Tackle Cruelty, Bench Fur" ad, which features lovelies from the Lingerie Football League's Chicago Bliss.
Just when you thought that it couldn't get any hotter, four of the posing players revealed that they'd rather go naked than wear fur:
Still want to see more? Be sure to check back soon for the release of the ad and an exclusive interview with the girls. But for now—as you can see from the LFL's Facebook page—our photo shoot is already gartering garnering a lot of attention.
Written by Karin Bennett
The flaxen-haired superheroes of Michael Troy's high-larious new comic book, Blonde Squad, may not be the brightest bulbs on the tree, but their hearts are definitely in the right place. For instance, the team's sorta-psychic, Psight, is less offended by a telepathic death threat from the scheming brunette, Dark Swan, than she is by the fact that their nemesis is wearing fur. Then there's the fun fact that the whole Blonde Squad posed for a new PETA ad, proudly—if a bit nonsensically—proclaiming, "We'd Rather Be Blonde Than Wear Fur!"
You've got to love a comic that not only features a villain who disappears with a big "FABOOSH!"—and heroes who don't quite grasp that "BS" means more than the group's initials—but that can also manage to make a point about the cruelty of the fur industry (an ability shared by the bold heroines of Bluewater Comics). And even though I'm blonde (or blond), I think I got most of the jokes—as well as the point: You don't need superpowers to be a hero who stands up for animals who are killed for their fur.
You can order the first issue of Blonde Squad here, and you should also check out Michael's blog.
Written by Jeff Mackey
Yesterday, we asked you to guess which quip-firing, sass-making, cruelty-free-baking, real scorcher was the star of our newest "Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur" ad. Today we're thrilled to unveil Bethenny Frankel's stunning new ad. Check out these scenes from the queen of the Big Apple's photo shoot:
Frankel used to wear fur, but then she saw a skinned animal on display at a demonstration outside a cocktail party. After being exposed to images of animals who are anally electrocuted or have their necks broken before their skin is peeled from their bodies, Bethenny ditched fur forever. As one of the classiest and kindest people on reality television, the story behind her decision to go fur-free is sure to inspire others to make the same easy and humane pledge.
Written by Logan Scherer
You'll have to wait until the big unveiling tomorrow to find out which celebrity took it all off in our latest "Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur" ad, but here's a clue: She can out-sass, out-bake, and now out-strip any of her real co-stars, and frankly, the only thing we have to say to her is "Bravo."
Post your guesses in the comments section, and keep your eyes peeled for this reveal.
Academy Award–winning actor and animal advocate extraordinaire Kim Basinger has stepped up, yet again, to speak up for animals who are skinned alive for their fur.
Kim's classic anti-fur ad was one of the first in PETA's "Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur" campaign, and the issue remains vitally important to her. Today she sent a letter to leading Chinese designer Luo Zheng reminding her that there's nothing fashionable about using the skins of dead animals in her designs. Kim writes:
As you may know, this is an issue that is very dear to my heart. I have avoided wearing real fur for many years …. PETA's heartrending investigations have documented that animals, including dogs and cats, are bludgeoned, hanged, bled to death, strangled with wire nooses, and skinned alive. Workers have been caught beating raccoons, dogs and foxes with metal rods and leaving them to convulse on the ground. Some animals are injured but still completely conscious as they are skinned, and they kick and writhe as their skin is ripped from their bodies.
As you may know, this is an issue that is very dear to my heart. I have avoided wearing real fur for many years ….
PETA's heartrending investigations have documented that animals, including dogs and cats, are bludgeoned, hanged, bled to death, strangled with wire nooses, and skinned alive. Workers have been caught beating raccoons, dogs and foxes with metal rods and leaving them to convulse on the ground. Some animals are injured but still completely conscious as they are skinned, and they kick and writhe as their skin is ripped from their bodies.
As China's leading designer, Zheng could have a huge influence on the fashion world by joining compassionate, world-class designers such as Qi Gang, Stella McCartney, Betsey Johnson, Vivienne Westwood, and Todd Oldham who have already refused to use fur.
Take a cue from Kim, and tell another behind-the-times designer that fur is cruel and outdated.
Written by Heather Drennan
When I first became involved with PETA, it was on an "issue-by-issue" basis—they interviewed me in my old apartment about animal abuse in the circus as I sat on a leather sofa. At that time I was a meat-eater and told them I believe that if anyone is going to wear the flesh or fur of an animal, they should at least have the decency to eat the meat of that animal. That comment led to my involvement in PETA's "Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur" campaign. The following year, I chose to stop eating meat (and stop wearing or purchasing anything made out of leather); however, citing reports that Jesus Christ fed lots of people with fish, I continued to eat fish. Most recently, for just over a month now, I've kept to a strictly vegan diet and I've not felt "hard-done-by" at all. I have been really enjoying making a project out of seeking out an extremely healthy diet of raw, organic, vegan foods—and I plan on continuing to do so. —Steve-O
Visit his Web site to continue reading about why Steve-O chooses to work with PETA and the impact he's making in the lives of animals.
Written by Shawna Flavell
There's no doubt that Survivor alumni Ethan Zohn and Jenna Morasca know how to make the best of a tough situation. Not even the diagnosis of Ethan's cancer has been able to keep this couple down! When Ethan was diagnosed with CD20-positive Hodgkin's lymphoma earlier this year, he let the world know that he and longtime girlfriend Jenna would be tackling the illness head-on. As he told People magazine in May, "I'll take it on like a real game of Survivor. I'm not getting voted out of this one."
We are, of course, rooting hard for Ethan and Jenna—remember when they posed au naturel for our "Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur" campaign? And we were elated to learn that one of the first steps they took toward battling Ethan's cancer was to switch immediately to a vegetarian diet.
We recently had the opportunity to ask Ethan and Jenna a few questions about the couple's switch to a vegetarian lifestyle, and as you can see from their answers, they couldn't be more pleased with their decision. More energy and the chance to help animals and the environment? As Jenna says, "You can't get any better than that, in my mind!"
What made you decide to go vegetarian?Jenna: When Ethan was diagnosed with cancer, we decided that we need to be careful about what we put in our bodies. So we went vegetarian together!
Have you ever considered going vegetarian in the past?Ethan: I was on a macrobiotic diet when I was younger and my father was ill. My entire family made the change to macro to help my father and the cancer he was battling. In addition, I was a vegetarian for 14 years before going on Survivor.
How did you make the transition? Was it gradual, or did you stop eating meat cold (faux) turkey?Jenna: We actually made the transition pretty quickly—just cutting out everything right away. Now, with so many great faux-meat products, it's not as hard as people think anymore to go vegetarian. For instance, in the grocery store are many great faux-meat options, like Gardenburger meatless buffalo chicken wings. Ethan was a huge fan of buffalo chicken wings, so these are a good replacement!
How do you feel since making the switch to a vegetarian diet—any different?Ethan: Yes! We feel like we have more energy and do not consume that many calories during the day.
Studies have shown that the meat industry is deadly to the environment—not only does it contribute to water pollution and deforestation, it's also the biggest contributor to greenhouse gasses and climate change. What do you think about going vegetarian as a way to help the environment?Jenna: I think that any way to help the environment is a bonus, and going vegetarian not only helps the environment but also helps animals too! You can't get any better than that, in my mind!
Written by Amanda Schinke
If you have a general question for PETA and would like a response, please e-mail Info@peta.org. If you need to report cruelty to an animal, please click here. If you are reporting an animal in imminent danger and know where to find the animal and if the abuse is taking place right now, please call your local police department. If the police are unresponsive, please call PETA immediately at 757-622-7382 and press 2.
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