The Geopolitics of Fur

Always in search of topics related to our ‘fur’ry friends.

Although the Olympics have come and gone ( aplogies for the belated temporality of this issue), I stumbled upon this Peta ad featuring a “nude” Amanda Beard extolling the “virtues” of self-confidence and abstinence from the use of animal fur. This image alone highlights the intersection of several issues regarding consumption, the fashion industry, animal “rights”, politics of place, the body, and desire. Here Beard’s body is the result of both countless hours in the pool and the effort of calculating aestheticians working on the photo shoot (ensuring flattering lighting, make-up for her face and body that would most likely fail anti-animal cruelty standards), the labor of both fetishized away in a project of naturalizing beauty and feminine compassion. The consumption of animal bodies is critiqued as we simultaneously consume Beard’s.

There are various debates that you all should look at circulating around the blogosphere regarding both China’s role in the global fur industry and Peta’s/Beard’s hypocritical righteousness. I am by no means a fan of Peta and their often questionable tactics, but I often find myself at the uneasy intersection between advocating the agency of non-animal others and accounting for cultural specificities and disparate pleasures.

Check out these sites for further commentary by angry bloggers:
latimesblogs.latimes.com/thedishrag/2008/08/olympic-gold-me.html (critical of Peta)
blog.peta.org/archives/2008/08/olympic_champio_1.php (a more "kool-aid" approach)