cream cotton bow-tie top (Halogen via Nordstrom)
faux fur vest (Old Navy)
orange print skirt (Tucker for Target, gifted)
brown tights (Merona)
suede and leather boots (Franco Sarto via DSW)
Usage:
Today I attempt to parse my fist-pumping affection for the current furlike garment revival. I can't decide if I'm for the democratization of fur in its less expensive faux forms, or if I'm legitimately opposed to authentic animal-derived garments. Perhaps both. Except, if the latter holds true for me, then I'd have to ditch these leather boots on ethical grounds. And, frankly, I like leather. Why doesn't wearing leather make me uncomfortable in the same way wearing genuine animal hair makes me uneasy? It's likely that the tanning process so de-characterizes animal hides that it renders them unrecognizable, making it easier for wearers like me to disassociate the product from the source. Not so with animal fur. I wore a faux rabbit hair vest to class once, and, upon hugging me, a student declared she had "caught a bunny."
Not only do ethical issues make me uneasy about wearing genuine fur, but the same issues make me wary about the mere semblance of the authentic. To the extent that, when wearing faux fur, I feel it necessary -- albeit ridiculous -- to preface all garment-related (ok, and -unrelated) conversation with "Don't worry,this isn't real." Which is what I did yesterday while sporting this Old Navy vest. (I can confirm that framing smalltalk in such a way ensures awkward social situations.) If the mere suggestion of the authentic makes me bristle, then why not consider prints like the one Katie interrogated yesterday problematic? Sure, gesturing at animal-derived material via printed cotton is less threatening, but exactly which garments warrant moral unease? Only the real animal-derived clothes, or the ones that gesture at the real too?
I ask because this weekend, between handing out candy to costumed neighborhood kids, my husband and I chatted about our favorite childhood Halloween get-ups. A psychologist's son, my husband noted that he was restricted or spared from (depending on your interpretation) wearing costumes that referenced violence or included pretend weapons. "Why?" I asked. "Fake weapons are, well, fake." To which he responded, "The semblance of the real can be problematic -- even harmful -- too." Fair enough.
Should the same principle apply to fur?
Prompts:
- Ok, no holds barred, where do you stand on the animal fur issue? Do you wear genuine animal hair garments, faux animal hair garments? Do you wear animal prints?
- If you don't wear genuine animal fur for ethical reasons, then please elaborate on them. As I'm thinking through this issue, it'd be helpful to hear your rationale.
- Since I mentioned leather too, what do you think about wearing it? I haven't sufficiently researched the processes for preparing either animal fur or leather, so I'm wondering if they differ in important ways.
- On a lighter note, blogging friends weren't kidding when they raved over the Tucker for Target line. This skirt is ubercomfortable, and the print works in my wardrobe even better than I expected. Huzzah!
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