I remember shopping in Las Vegas last year with a girl friend, when a lip stick red gown caught our attention in the window of Valentino. We decided to go in and take a closer look. After all, what "Pretty Woman"-lover would pass up a chance to glance his signature design up close? But once inside, I was drawn unexpectedly to a jacket displayed toward the back of the boutique.
"It's Chinchilla," said a salesman, clad in a $2,000 suit, who noticed me admiring it. "Here, try it on," he offered, sliding the jacket down the arms of the mannequin and up over mine. "It was made using only the bellies of chinchillas," the salesman continued. "That's why it's so soft."
I should have been really impressed by that detail, but instead, I was a little nauseated to think that somewhere in Italy hundreds of little animals had been robbed of their bellies and then chucked in the trash. Don't get me wrong, I still loved the jacket, but there is no denying that the issue of fur, especially in fashion, has been raising the hair of animal rights activists for decades.
In the early 1990s, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) stirred dialogue on the issue with the - now infamous - ad campaign, "I'd rather go naked than wear fur." The campaign featured a series of nude photographs of Cindy Crawford and fellow supermodels Tyra Banks, Christy Turlington, Amber Valletta, Niki Taylor and Claudia Schiffer.
In addition to bearing it all for the cause, each of the supermodels signed a customized version of one of PETA's anti-fur petitions entitled, "Models of Compassion: fur-free models who know that beauty is more than skin deep."
It was a milestone, indeed, for the budding non-profit organization PETA, but an especially notable moment in fashion. For once, it wasn't the clothing designers making a statement about social issues or their political views (as they so often do); it was the models. Finally, these gorgeous women were not just being puppets of the industry; they decided to use their beauty and fame to set a brave example for humanity and support something they believed in.
Or not. This year, Cindy Crawford shocked fashionistas and friends of animals, alike, when she signed to be the new face of fur giant Blackgama. PETA, needless to say, was outraged when it heard the news and immediately made plans to launch a campaign against its former ally.
"I know that when film and television careers don't pan out, a model can become desperate, but you're totally ruining your image by showing such a lack of integrity," PETA's Dan Matthews wrote in a letter to Crawford in August, reminding her of the petition she signed saying she'd never wear fur. "You have become a body without a heart or a head."
Crawford now joins the ranks of former PETA models such as Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss who would apparently rather go naked than wear fur, unless a fur designer is offering a paying job. In addition to modeling for Blackgama, Crawford was seen on designer Roberto Cavalli's Milan catwalk this fall wearing a long fur coat.
And as if Crawford doesn't look bad enough (reputation-wise, that is), her excuses for the sudden change of heart are utterly ridiculous. In the 1994 ads, Crawford had been featured wearing nothing but a fake fur hat by designer Todd Oldham. Now Crawford's spokeswoman, Annett Wolf, claims that the supermodel never endorsed PETA's anti-fur message, and that "all she did was a favor for Todd Oldham."
How then does Crawford explain her signature on the PETA petition? "Cindy has never been associated with PETA," Wolf insisted in a New York Post interview. "When she is asked to model something, she does. That is her job. She has been really nice about the PETA ad, but it's just not her job."
I am by no means an animal rights activist, but I must say, I am extremely disappointed in Cindy Crawford. And I completely disagree with her publicist. Wearing something someone asks her to wear used to be her job; but it certainly is not her job anymore. That is because Crawford is not just a model - she is a supermodel.
She is part of a very select group of women (note the names above) who, unlike regular models, became bona fide celebrities and household names, loved and admired by men and women around the world. They brought fashion and beauty to the masses in a way never before seen by the industry and never since achieved by another group of models. And, as proof in the PETA ads, when these women take a stand, the world takes notice.
Crawford should be ashamed of herself. At a point in her career when she has the luxury of picking and choosing her work carefully, she has made it clear that she champions money over message. That is her choice, but she should stop lying to the public and to herself. It's too late to cry "model."
