Skin Trade – The Movie That Takes Aim At The Fur Industry’s Cruelty
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I attended the East Coast Premiere of Skin Trade, produced by Shannon Keith, which documents the horrifying cruelty to animals in the fur industry. As expected, the movie laid it all out about the truth with trapping, executing, skinning alive, etc. of animals that are captured, bred, and killed purely for their skin. For me, this outrageous practice to serve an unnecessary human vanity, is the epitome of senseless murder and violation of even the simplest moral values, that most of us humans were taught to embrace.
Skin Trade skillfully depicts the vast abyss between the truth in fur trading and the perceptions that the fur industry feeds to the public through false propaganda: assurances that fur animals don’t suffer, and the latest and most absurd – that wearing fur is “green”, as it comes from natural resources and can be recycled.
I beg your pardon??
The reality captured in the movie’s undercover footage dispels the hoax and paints the fur industry as what it is: blatant liars and killers that interrupt the natural ecological balance with their abhorrent and cruel practices. Watch the movie – it says it all. You will learn facts about the fur industry that will chill you to your bones.
Nowadays real furs are often dyed in glaring colors to give them a “faux look”. Consumers have started to demand faux fur in the wake of disclosures about fur animal cruelty, and the publicized actions of animal lovers who spray-paint fur-wearing wannabe fashionistas. My favorite story comes from the UK, where the public expresses their disgust at fur with such fury, that one corner in London bears a sign, warning fur wearers that they could be sprayed upon. People seem to take note – or live out their perverse fur fantasies behind closed doors – as only few fur coats are on display in London’s streets nowadays.
The shockingly sad truth is that one fur coat alone requires the lives of 40 minks, 40 foxes, and more than 100 chinchillas. Swallow that – this is just ONE coat. I feel a revolting agitation in my stomach just thinking of the many screams and hours of horror going into that one piece of fashion abomination.
So what about faux fur? I have bad news: Cheaper faux fur coats imported to the USA from China do not mandate that labels list the kind of fur used. Over 96% of coats tested in this spectrum contained fur from cats and dogs that are openly and gruesomely killed in China’s streets. This is profitable business, and the fashion industry is fighting hard to keep garments with fur worth less than $150 under the radar of inspections and labels.
The only way to stop the abusive, deceptive, and fully unnecessary fur industry is to take your stance as informed consumer. So, if you still have anything fluffy in your wardrobe or are looking for a new fur-trim jacket, please make sure the label tells you what fur is used – it has to be synthetic. Labels also use exotic names for their fur sources to disperse customers’ worries, as they can’t easily associate a known animal with those names.
I urge you to watch Skin Trade before you make the next move. I promise that you will think again, and may choose to keep your wardrobe entirely fur-free – real or faux.
Find out more about Skin Trade at: http://skintradethemovie.com
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About the author: Ina Mohan is founder of Belsandia where she also maintains a blog at:http://www.belsandia.com/healthy-living-blog.html
Thank you for a great review of Skin Trade! Many people who think they know everything about fur have been shocked at what they learned in this film. Please everyone, if not for yourself, buy someone else a copy.
Skin Trade is an important film. With celebrities like Janet Jackson and Brooke Shields recently endorsing fur, the public is going to start wanting to purchase fur again. Please buy a copy of Skin Trade and share it with friends and family, give it out at fur protests and make sure you watch the film!
even as a vegan who is against fur, i still learned a lot that i didn’t know from watching skin trade. this is an important film for EVERYONE to see. glad to see you writing about it on here!
.-= quarrygirl´s last blog ..deano’s- vegan pizza at the fairfax farmers market! =-.
I find it hard to believe that, with all the advances we have made in today’s society, we still cling to such primitive and antiquated notions. Thank you for the review and for getting the message out there!
Thank you for the review! This important film needs to be seen by EVERYBODY!!