Once an avid and controversial fan of fur coats, boots, handbags and bikinis, Kim Kardashian West announced in 2019 that she was giving up fur and remaking all her natural fur coats with synthetics — and she is not the only one.
In January 2023, Kardashian’s home state of California officially became the first fur-free state in the union. AB 44, legislation sponsored by Assemblymember Laura Friedman, made the sale of new fur products in both brick and mortar and online stores illegal.
But choosing to ignore the fur industry because it is going out of style would be a mistake. Even though the ban in California was the right step, it still came short of comprehensive federal legislation outlawing all fur farming in the US.
Over 100 million animals are killed yearly for their fur, and the United States alone produces over 2.3 million fur pelts, according to Human Society International. You might ask, what exactly does “production” entail?
The overwhelming amount of fur production comes from killing and mass breeding animals locked in tiny wire cages. Forced captivity and subjugation have mutated these wild animals into oversized “monster foxes” — open wounds, mutilated limbs, diseased eyes, a full loss of awareness that turns some of the worst affected into cannibals. By skinning off parts of their breathing bodies, raccoon dogs, minks, foxes and chinchillas are turned into the adorable pom poms and trim on “high class” hats and coats.
“I’ve learned in class that fur is an evolutionary trait that animals have acquired to survive,” AP Environmental Science student and junior Madison Lee said, “Stripping it off them to appeal to our fashion choices is unethical, because we’re basically killing them by stripping them of their ability to survive.”
It is difficult to understate the level of cruelty that happens in both cages and even in fur trapping. Yet this process used to be seen as a status symbol for the wealthy elite and fashion-forward.
Luckily, anti-fur activism has made large strides since then. High fashion retailers, such as Gucci, Versace, Armani and Tommy Hilfiger have all jumped ship to using faux fur. In the 1990s, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) even began protesting by making nude women wave banners saying “We’d Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur.”
Now, we can not force people to go nude to drive effective animal protection legislation. But as a consumer, conscious choices, such as foregoing real fur for fake fur, can mean the difference for animal welfare.
“People need to be more conscious about where their clothes come from,” Biology Club member and sophomore Grace Li said, “Even ignoring all the issues with fast fashion, the amount of brands who still use fur prove there’s a lack of regard for animal cruelty. It’s really important that we know where and how our clothing is sourced.”
In 2022, the Senate rejected the America COMPETES Act, which if passed, would have shut down the mink fur industry by prohibiting the ownership of farm-raised mink. If the US wants to prove its commitment to animal welfare, a nationwide ban needs to be passed against the 500 million dollar fur industry, according to the US 2017 Economic Census.
It is time for Americans, of whom 61% support a nationwide ban on fur farming, to step up the pressure on our legislators — nationally and statewide.
