Silver-fox-fur-lined Beats by Dr. Dre headphones designed by Oscar de la Renta have PETA up in arms. From Selena Gomez’s painted pink horses to Rihanna’s ostrich-feather dress, see other stars who have drawn the ire of the animal-rights group.
Though it’s not uncommon for fur lovers to draw the ire of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), few have done so by sporting fur on their ears. A new collaboration between Dr. Dre and Oscar de la Renta apparently will fix that, however. The pair have released limited-edition Beats by Dr. Dre headphones lined in silver-fox fur, which, as the product description reads, “only Oscar could conceive.” PETA has sounded off against the $695 headphones, citing the fact that “foxes, minks, rabbits, and other animals—including cats and dogs—are bludgeoned, genitally electrocuted, strangled with wire nooses, drowned, and even skinned alive for their pelts.” PETA also urged de la Renta to join fellow designers Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, Marc Bouwer, and Vivienne Westwood in banning fur from designs. No comment has been released by either de la Renta or Dr. Dre, but given the price tag, people probably will think twice before buying the fashionable headphones.
Denise Truscello, WireImage / Getty Images
Reese Witherspoon may have been nominated as PETA’s World’s Sexiest Vegetarian in 2005, but in November of last year the animal-rights group had a different message about America’s sweetheart. After she was spotted stepping out in California toting a Chloe Paraty python-and-leather bag, PETA rushed Witherspoon a video (hosted by her Walk the Line costar Joaquin Phoenix) that exposes the cruelty snakes endure in the name of fashion. As a PETA spokeswoman told The Daily Mail, “Hoses are inserted into the mouths of large snakes—like pythons—and their bodies are pumped full of water to loosen their skin so that it will cut away more easily. The animals' peeled, writhing bodies are then discarded, and it often takes days for the animals to die from the effects of shock and dehydration.” After watching the video, Witherspoon agreed to ditch the python bag, prompting PETA to send her a much more ecofriendly gift: a bouquet of flowers.
Fame Pictures
After the real-life horror of an Ohio zoo gone wrong last year (dozens of exotic animals were killed after a zookeeper set them loose, then committed suicide), PETA had a few words to say to director Cameron Crowe regarding his newest film, We Bought a Zoo. As the group’s vice president, Lisa Lange, said in a statement, “We Bought a Zoo conveys the misleading and downright dangerous message that no special knowledge—just a lot of heart—is needed to run a zoo. As the tragedy in Ohio gruesomely illustrates, wild animals aren't Disney characters.” The group pleaded with Crowe to include a warning at the end of his film, dissuading would-be wild-animal owners from attempting any of the quirky antics shown in the film. The group also took issue with the film’s use of animal actors and urged the public not to see the film at all.
Michael Loccisano / Getty Images
Liking horses and the color pink is not unusual for girls like Selena Gomez. Actually painting horses pink, however, is another matter. Last May, on the Malibu-beach set of the music video for Selena’s track “Love You Like a Love Song,” photos of the singer surrounded by pink painted horses earned her an earful from PETA—and from the singer Pink as well. “There are no safe ways to paint a live horse or any animal; they can have painful allergic reactions to chemicals and there’s no way to know how an individual animal will react,” a PETA representative told Celebuzz. “Also, subjecting skittish animals like horses to extended periods of restraint and spraying is stressful and frightening.” Pink, a known supporter of PETA, also weighed in on the matter, tweeting, “If there are any animal activists around Malibu—at Leo Cabrillo State Beach, there are horses being painted for a stupid music video. Shame … Artists should be more aware and responsible for their actions.” Gomez ultimately pulled the plug on the horse stunt and cut them out of the music video.
Kanye West is known for his love of furs—and for ignoring PETA’s requests that he dump the animal skins for good. Last January, exactly one year after PETA dubbed the rapper an “idiot” for wearing a body-length fur coat, West stepped out in the same coat again. In 2009 Pink openly criticized West’s fondness for fur, which he apparently was upfront about even in the face of a PETA vice president at a Stella McCartney fashion show in Paris. “He just wouldn’t shut up about how he loved fur,” the singer complained. “I mean, he’s saying this to me, the PETA guy and Paul McCartney!”
FameFlynet
After appearing on the cover of Vogue Hommes Japan in a bikini made of raw meat, Lady Gaga understandably fell from PETA’s good graces. “No matter how beautifully presented, meat from a tortured animal is meat from a tortured animal,” PETA president Ingrid Newkirk said in a statement. Unfazed by this criticism, the singer showed up at the 2010 Video Music Awards in an entire dress fashioned from raw meat. When asked about her unusual fashion choice by Ellen DeGeneres, Gaga divulged that the dress expressed distaste for the U.S. military’s (now repealed) “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. “If we don’t fight for our rights, pretty soon we’re going to have as many rights as the meat on our bones,” she said.
Matt Sayles / AP Photo
Rihanna won’t be joining the ranks of Alicia Silverstone, Eva Mendes, and Carmen Electra in promoting PETA’s controversial “I’d Rather Go Naked” campaign. A repeat offender in the animal-wearing scene, she’s been spotted in a number of fur items, but her biggest—and most memorable—faux pas was this explosive aqua top. Tailored from ostrich feathers covering the entire bodice, this get-up did more than ruffle the feathers of a few PETA followers.
Neil Mockford / Getty Images
Kate Moss wouldn’t give up fur, even if it meant breaking up with her then-rocker boyfriend (now husband) Jamie Hince of The Kills. In 2009 Hince threatened Moss by allegedly saying, “It’s me or the dead animals,” after she purchased a rabbit-fur bedspread for the bedroom of her London home. PETA echoed Hince’s concerns and said, “We urge her to take a look at one of our DVDs showing foxes being electrocuted, wild animals being trapped in bone-crunching traps, minks being gassed, and dogs in China being bludgeoned.”
Pascal Le Segretain / Getty Images
After Jessica Simpson was spotted wearing a T-shirt that read “Real Girls Eat Meat,” PETA posted an article on its website in retaliation entitled “Top Five Reasons Only Stupid Girls Brag About Eating Meat,” directly targeting the star. Not only did it lash out against her apparel, it also poked fun at her “less-than-stellar brains and her ability to proportionately fill out Daisy Dukes.” According to the Newlyweds star, the shirt was meant as a poke at ex-boyfriend Tony Romo’s former girlfriend Carrie Underwood, who doesn’t eat meat. Ironically, Simpson became a vegan in July of 2010. Chicken of the sea, anyone?
Keeping Up With the Kardashians leading lady Kim has earned one of the first ever Grinch Awards from PETA for her love of fur. The animal-activist organization even created a poster featuring a photo of Kardashian adorned in a fox fur, accompanying a photo of baby foxes with the slogan “Kim: These babies miss their mother. Is she on your back?” The kicker however, is that Kim’s sister, Khloe, has been a spokesmodel for PETA’s “I’d Rather Go Naked Campaign” in the past. Apparently her goodwill toward the furry creatures hasn’t rubbed off on big-sister.
Marcel Thomas / FilmMagic
Being the celebrity spokesperson for luxury fashion fur company Blackglama puts Janet Jackson on the top of PETA’s naughty list. In a press release PETA explained, "When Janet Jackson had her infamous 'wardrobe malfunction' during the Super Bowl, at least the flesh that popped into view was her own—unlike the stolen animal skins that she drapes herself with, which are as dead as her taste in fashion."
According to PETA, it took more than 60 chinchillas to make the fur coat Madonna was seen wearing in 2006. “Madonna is just too old to flash her beaver like Britney Spears, so she brought out the chinchilla,” PETA said. In 2009 Madonna was named “Worst Dressed” by the animal-rights organization, which stated that while she may be on the prowl for a “young cub,” wearing fur “doesn’t make you a cougar.” Since then Madonna has been criticized by PETA for ordering 110 pounds of “kosher” meat to be brought to her in Tel Aviv during her “Sticky and Sweet” tour. From this record, it would take years of repentance to put this “Like a Virgin” singer on saintly terms with PETA’s followers.
Niki Nikolova / FilmMagic
