What Your Fur Coat Says About You

Like it or not, when you decide to walk out of your home wearing a fur coat or fur embellished piece of clothing or accessory, you are making a statement that may or may not be what you initially intended.

Chances are, unless you are an Eskimo, the majority of people passing you and your fur are thinking that you are heartless, clueless, desperate to show that you have cash to burn, most likely new to having cash in the first place, lacking empathy or all of the above.

In a study published by the RSPCA in the UK states that 95% of people would not wear real fur. Either they don’t want to support the tremendous amount of inhumane cruelty or they don’t want the scrutiny that wearing fur invites.

It is not a secret that fur is ripped off animals that are still alive, with nothing to kill the pain, and most people do not want to be a part of that, either.

Many people who wear fur purchased it because they genuinely like it and enjoy the look and feel of the material. They may have no idea how much cruelty is involved with its production. These folks can easily be classified as ignorant, however, it is probably not the first thing that comes to the minds of one of these 95% people who happen to pass these fur-wearing fashionistas on the street or stand behind them at the grocery store.

People who wear fur are generally not given the benefit of the doubt when they are strutting their stuff in a coat made of 65 mink pelts. Because others are enlightened to the fact that the minks were murdered in a method likened to a horrific form of torture, the message sent by the fur coat can be quite abrasive.

Many individuals make fur their fashion choice because it is a status symbol. A fur coat can cost up to $15,000 with averages in the low 4 figures. When costume jewelry can be almost impossible to distinguish from the real thing, there are very few other ways to display your wealth to strangers in public as easily as an authentic fur coat. In some circles, you’ve “made it” and your fur coat is your proof. In your village, the Joneses may drool with jealousy when you walk out in your new skin – exactly the desired reaction.

A fur coat may show that you have a bottomless bank account, but again, I assure you, it is not the first thing that comes to people’s minds.

Ingrid Newkirk, founder and president of PETA, and the most well-known animal activist of our time once told someone wearing fur, “You look so beautiful, but that coat makes you look callous”. She backs up her comment by stating, “I am just saying what everyone’s thinking. When you wear fur, everyone you pass is thinking the same thing”.