Are Animal Lovers Sexist?

by Annie Hartnett · 2010-03-19 07:00:00 UTC
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In this month's issue of VegNews magazine, a reader's letter caught my eye. Kelly Garbato from Missouri writes: "As a vegan feminist, I'm increasingly disturbed by the number of animal advocates who are willing to engage in sexism in the course of their advocacy." She takes a particular issue with the words "fur hag," which means "an ugly old woman." She is dismayed that gendered slurs are used to attack fur wearers.

I'm a vegan feminist too, but I disagree.

Sure, there are a few fur-loving Kanye Wests and Johnny Weirs out there, but the fur industry is mainly fueled by women. According to the Fur Information Council of America, the sales of fur to men accounts for five percent of total fur sales. If women are buying 95 percent of fur, then it is a gendered issue.

PETA's "Worst Dressed" campaign always attacks fur-wearing women, and men rarely make the list. In 2001, PETA told Sharon Stone: "Put your fur coat away. We saw enough of that tired old beaver in Basic Instinct." Ouch. PETA has also attacked Star Jones' weight, called Kate Moss a "supertramp," and Eva Longoria a "streetwalker."

The letter in VegNews suggested animal advocates switch to insults like "jerk," "loser," and "asshat." The trouble is, those words don't pack much of a punch.

I'm less comfortable with using gendered insults when talking about eating animals, as opposed to wearing them. The popular vegan diet book, Skinny Bitch, has also taken a lot of flak for the book's misogynist language (Including over at the Sustainable Food blog). And earlier today was the first I've heard of John Joseph's book Meat Is For Pussies.

So what do you think? Are animal advocates too vicious towards women? Or is it okay to get catty for the sake of animals?

Photocredit: takomabibelot

Annie Hartnett is a writer and animal advocate who has worked for several wildlife rehabilitation centers and environmental programs.
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