To wear, or not to wear.
01.28.2010

Usually, when I stumble across the Yahoo! homepage, I'm greeted with cringe-worthy errors that even I notice. Surprisingly, yesterday I was greeted with a news story that managed to catch my eye for non-get-an-editor-related reasons.

Pro figure skater, Johnny Weir, is catching some flak from the usual suspects about his use of fox fur in his latest costume. That's right, that little tuft of white, requested by the skater himself, is the pelt of one of our adorable fuzzy friends.

Here is where the story got interesting for me: he stood by his choice! Usually, when found under fire for animal-related faux pas, stars seem to put their metaphorical tail between their legs (see what I did there?) and slink back to their PR office to e-shop for vegan friendly couture.

Not Weir, no sir. “I tend to focus my energy, if there is a cause, on humans. While that may be callous and bad of me, it’s my choice.” Weir said.

Now, I can't pretend that I have a clear-cut stance on this issue. I own my fair share of kidskin shoes, but mange to limit my fur intake to vintage-only. But I have to say I respect his ability to stand up to PETA-esque bullies (and lets be honest, they are a bit...something).

“Every skater is wearing skates made out of cow,” Weir continued. “Maybe I’m wearing a cute little fox while everyone else is wearing cow, but we’re all still wearing animals.”

Again, I have to admit, I really admire his steadfastness.

Which leads me to ask - what do you think? This article only proved that I don't know exactly where I stand on the issue. I'm not a vegetarian. I wear lots and lots of leather and suede. Maybe I'm not the most animal-friendly fashion lover on the indie fashion blog circuit. How about you?

P.S. If you are an animal-lover and never an animal-wearer, check out this INCREDIBLE knit fox stole (brought to my attention by Susan of my boss at ModCloth fame):

Maybe dropping $400 on this cruelty-free accessory will make you sleep better at night. I'm totally getting my (soon to be) mother-in-law to make one for me.