The Great Fur Debate: Am I Faking It?

So, I've noticed a bit of a storm around certain blogs regarding what people view as acceptable or unacceptable to wrap our bodies in.  Solanah especially has been particularly brave in putting her views across and, whether you agree or not, you've got to admire her courage for facing down everyone who has blasted her.  Anyway, there was a little occurrence over the weekend that got me thinking about fur, so I thought I'd put my two cents in.


A little bit of background before I get started: I've been vegetarian for almost 23 years, ever since I was 4.  Dead things gross me out; I have a phobia of taxidermy, could never cook meat for any of my lovers, and when the vet recommended I give my cat some chicken I instantly went out and bought a box of disposable latex gloves so I didn't have to physically touch meat.  I have owned, and still do own, leather shoes even though I don't particularly like the idea of where they came from.  For environmental and welfare reasons, I've dabbled in veganism although brie is always my downfall!


So you can see, I'm really not down with the dead animal thing.


I wore fur once.  At the Wansford 40s dance last September, I got talking to a lady in the bathroom and asked her if her stole was vintage.  She explained it wasn't, but it had been humanely culled as part of a typical agricultural process; she'd seen it hanging up and her husband lovingly turned it into a stole for her.  So it wasn't farmed for fur, and was going to be killed anyway.   She asked me to hold it while she went to the loo, and it lasted long enough round my neck for me to take a picture:

By this point I was freaking out at the idea of having a dead thing round my neck, and with great relief gave it back to its owner.

This weekend, I went home and in my absent-mindedness completely forgot to take a coat with me.  Raiding the cupboard under the stairs, I came across a coat I had bought at uni and completely swooned at it.  When I bought it, I never wore it because it suddenly occurred to me that it might be real fur.  But the mamma bear and I conducted a series of experiments (burning, wetting, stroking, ripping the lining to see the back of the fabric) and came to the conclusion that it was indeed a fake.  I'm 98% sure it's not real fur... and that other 2% is the same worried part of me that panics every time I eat a veggie burger in case someone's put real meat in it.

So, check it out!

I've now got to wondering though... would I still wear it if it was real fur?  I've stopped criticising people who wear *vintage* fur - it's been long since killed - although in Britain today there is absolutely no need for new fur, other than fashion, and I will never, ever agree with killing things just to look nice.  However, I never ever saw myself as being someone who would even wear old old fur.  It just wasn't me, and the thought of it made me feel kind of queasy.  But I love this coat.  It's warm, it's pretty and it feels like it was made for me.  So maybe it's bad, but I kind of don't want to know if that 98% of me is wrong.  And that's going to take a lot of getting used to.  I might even change my mind in a day or two and retire it back to the cupboard under the stairs.

So what are your thoughts on fur?  Would you wear it?  What do you think of people who do?  Do you see a difference between vintage and new fur?