I’ve made it to my seat and am already tired. It’s the second of three long flights, and I’ve just gotten on a full flight on Scandinavian Air (SAS). That’s when I’m hit—not by a security guard pulling me off the flight (it is a United partner, after all!)—but by the cover picture on the inflight magazine. It’s of a celebrity wearing fur. Ouch![teaserbreak]
The reason this is hitting me harder than usual is that I’m on my way to represent Born Free USA at the Fur Free Alliance international meeting in Vienna, Austria. The fact that fur is draped all over the inflight magazine reminds me that we’ve still got a lot of work to do to end this ridiculous abuse of animals for such a stupid luxury item.
And, it is stupid isn’t, it?! Killing animals for “their” coats so “we” humans can wear them as human coats… and then adding insult to injury to somehow think we look good covered in dead animal skin with fur attached. I mean, it’s not like we’re living in caves anymore. Anyone who thinks they look good in fur is dead wrong. Even with a “little” fur trim, they look horrible, and mean, and nasty!
Case in point: the images of Sofia Jannok, the singer-songwriter from Sweden who is all over the inflight magazine draped in fur. Do you think she looks good wrapped in fur? She sure must think something different than I do because she is showing off a different piece of fur in many of her photos. And, really, that is what it boils down to, isn’t it? That she—along with too many other celebrities and people—just believe that fur is glamorous, humane, environmentally friendly, and all other lies that the fur industry likes to promote. Talk about fake news!
And, this is where Born Free USA, along with the 40 other animal organizations around the world who are in the Fur Free Alliance, has our work cut out for us. If furbearing animals have a chance, we need to make the people who wear fur think differently.
The good news is that you can see people thinking differently, like through the letters we receive from our Fur for the Animals campaign. Many of our mothers wore fur, thinking it was fashionable. And, now, many of them—and us, their children—think differently about fur and wouldn’t be caught dead in it. Changing one’s mind is possible, even if it takes a generation!
You can also see legislators thinking differently, too, with bills to ban fur farms all over the world. (But, appallingly absent is the United States!) And, even some cities have banned the sale of fur, like Berkeley and West Hollywood, California. So, it is possible to change lawmakers’ minds, too, even if it takes a couple of election cycles!
And, believe it or not, it’s even possible to get celebrities to change their minds, too! Take the recent announcement of Melania Trump no longer wearing fur. Who would have thought?
The other good news is that we won’t give up, either. Not me. Not you. Not Born Free USA. And, not any of the organizations in the Fur Free Alliance. We have compassion on our side, and when people learn what really, truly happens to animals who are killed for their fur, they change their way of thinking, too. And, they know that wearing fur is horrible, and mean, and nasty!
“Fur” the animals,
P.S. If you want to give Scandinavian Air a piece of your mind about showing fur in its magazine, write to the company at ideas@scandinaviantraveler.com.
And, whenever looking for a new coat, “shop the fox” at www.furfreeretailer.com.