a furry subject

As an animal lover, vegetarian and animal rights activist, I have always been vehemently opposed to fur and leather. So when shopping, I always made sure that anything resembling leather was 100% man-made. No real leather for me! But for some reason I drew the line at faux fur. The mere fact that it resembled animal fur kept me from buying it.

But last year, when stores started rolling out more faux fur coats & accessories I started to re-think this decision. Early last winter I was shopping at Kohls, when in the jewelry department I saw an old lady walk by in a floor-length fur coat. Obviously real, I thought to myself, and gave her a really dirty look. Not minutes later I saw a girl my age (early 20's) walk by in the pajama section, wearing a cute pea coat with fur trim. Awesome coat, I thought to myself, and admired the obviously faux fur lining.

When I snapped out of my clothing-envy-daze I realized that both of these women had on something resembling fur, but I automatically assumed the old lady was wearing real fur & the young girl was wearing faux. The same would hold true, I think, for two middle aged women -- one wearing huge diamond rings, a Prada bag and a perfect coif (obviously real fur) and one wearing flats, leggings and a non-designer bag (obviously faux fur) If you're old or rich, I think the fur is real. If you're young or not rich, I'll tend to think it's faux. Obviously there are many rich old people who have qualms with wearing animal fur & go with the faux. Obviously there are young people who splurge on a real mink hat. But for the most part, this is my perception.

Perhaps all of this reasoning was just my brain's way of convinving myself it was o.k. to wear faux fur. (After all, I do wear faux leather!) But aside from its relevance to my own personal decision to wear faux fur or not, I think it's an interesting thought. Now that we know where fur comes from, and what the process does to animals, is it a consensus thought that most young people nowadays will only wear faux or vintage? When you see young people and old people wearing fur, do you have the same inclinations to think what I did?


Here are some examples of some really nifty faux fur options available online, really gorgeous clothing and not one animal was harmed in the process of making them.

Luxurious shag jacket
F21 - $32.80

Jealous of Fame stole
Modcloth- $59.99

Motel Leopard Faux Fur Short Coat
ASOS - £65.00

Snow Leopard Faux Fur Coat
Urban Outfitters - $124.99

Faux fur swing jacket- brown/black minx
Target - $39.99

Faux fur hat- grey
Target- $14.99