Fur coats should be banned I. A. 1) 2) B. 1) 2) C. Introduction Fur in the Fashion Industry Used in coats, hats, and accessories Used by high fashion brands and designers Animals Used for Fur Foxes, chinchillas, minxes Fur farms Thesis Statement A. 1) 2) 3) B. 1) 2) 3) Body Advantages of Fur Fashion Lasts for a long time Associates with glamour and wealth Provides warmth and comfort during the cold weather Disadvantages of Fur Fashion High-maintenance Death of animals Threat to the environment A. 1) 2) B. 1) 2) Conclusion Fur is Everywhere Considered as a luxurious piece of clothing Used by famous designers Detrimental rather than Beneficial Causes death of animals Causes harmful effects to the environment II. III. Imagine yourself cramped in a cold and dark wire cage. Imagine yourself living with no food and no water. You have been living in this filthy place your whole life. For you, this is home. Then, one day, you are suddenly ripped from your cage, endlessly beaten to death, and excruciatingly skinned alive. You are then tossed like garbage into a pile with others who had suffered the same fate. This is how horrific the fur industry is and unfortunately, this kind of thing happens to animals on a daily basis. This is how heartless the fur industry can get. All in the name of fashion; “Killing an animal to make a coat is a sin. It was not meant to be and we have no right to do it” (Fox, 2013). According to actress Doris Day, it is unethical for humans to turn animal fur into coats. We have no right to take their natural covering from them and claim them as a material for our clothing. However, fur is still widely used in the fashion industry. Fur is embedded on coats, hats, boots, and accessories. Fur is also rampant on the runways of Milan, Paris, and New York. Designers such as Anna Sui, Oscar de la Renta, and Marc Jacobs frequently include fur in their collections, while powerhouse brands such as Chanel, Prada, and Versace exhibit fur in different colours and trims. Thousands of animals are killed for their fur. These can range from foxes, chinchillas, minks, and rabbits. These types of animals are held captive and spend their entire lives in fur farms in which they are confined to cramped and filthy cages (Fur farms, 2013). In these farms, fur farmers use the cheapest and cruellest killing methods available. Animals are poisoned, suffocated, electrocuted, and skinned alive in these farms. People go through all of this just to obtain fur. They mercilessly torture and kill animals so that the fashion industry can make fur coats. Something should be done about this. Although fur is fashionable, fur should be banned in the fashion industry. Why do people use fur anyway? What makes it so special? Most people patronize fur because it is known to last for a long time (Ardiansyah, 2013). Fur coats and hats are known to last for many decades. For most people, this is considered as a good investment because it can then be passed from one generation to another. Fur is also associated with glamour and wealth (Penman, 2011). When a person wears fur clothing, it can make them look classy, chic, and wealthy. Celebrities such as Lady Gaga, Rihanna, and Kim Kardashian are known to be fur lovers. This gives the public the impression that wearing fur will make you look like a star. Thus the belief that wearing fur can instantly make a person feel and look like a pop star or a Hollywood actor. Who would not want that, right? Most importantly, fur provides warmth and comfort during the cold weather (Fox, 2013). Animal fur is thick, thus it can provide optimum protection for cold winter nights. Fur, however, is not as beneficial as we thought. Although fur clothing can last for a long time, it is very high-maintenance (Ten fast facts, n.d.). The effort and cost in order to keep fur clothing in shape is very high. It can take up a lot of time just to clean and trim the fur. Another problem is that it causes the death of animals (The fur industry, n.d.). Various animals such as foxes, chinchillas, minks, and rabbits are killed on a daily basis for their fur. All in all, about fifty million animals are killed every year, eighty-five percent of which are the animals in fur farms (Fur farms, 2013). This can lead to the endangerment and even extinction of such animals. How do people even bear the thought of wearing a dead fox on their shoulders? How is that associated with glamour and wealth? Even worse, fur clothing poses a threat to the environment (The fur industry, n.d.). A 2003 Michigan State University study states that “the United States mink industry adds almost one thousand tons of phosphorous to the environment each year” (The fur trade, 2013). Excessive release of phosphorous from fur farms can lead to water pollution. Another problem caused by fur farms is air pollution. The stench of animal manure can have an adverse effect to the surrounding ecosystem. Ammonia is also one of the major issues not just on the fur farm itself, but also to the surrounding population. It damages forests and kills fishes. The chemical processes in making faux fur coats are also detrimental to the environment. Formaldehyde and chromium are toxic chemicals that are used in dyeing and dressing faux fur coats (The fur trade, 2013). Fur causes a lot of problems. Therefore, the fashion industry should ban the use of animal fur on clothing. Unfortunately, fur seems to be everywhere nowadays. Despite being a luxurious piece of clothing for the elite centuries ago, every person seems to own even just one fur coat in this day and age. Fur is showcased in every Autumn/Winter season in fashion weeks around the world. From New York to Tokyo, fur is there. Fur can be seen in trimmings on coats, hats, boots, gloves, and even accessories. Popular designers such as Anna Sui, Karl Lagerfeld, and Marc Jacobs occasionally include fur in their collections. However, not all designers use fur for their designs. Betsey Johnson, Stella McCartney, and Vivienne Westwood have sworn off the use of fur and are in fact, avid animal-lovers. The use of fur in the fashion industry should be stopped. Fur clothing is detrimental rather than beneficial to the people, the animals, and the environment. Producing a fur coat is a very extensive process. It causes the death of millions of animals around the world. Killing them can lead to the endangerment and even extinction of animals such as chinchillas, foxes, and minxes. Moreover, the death of millions of animals can lead to an imbalance in the ecosystem. In addition, fur clothing is also a threat to the environment. Fur farms cause air, land, and water pollution. These establishments can even cause various diseases to the surrounding population due to the effect of ammonia. Furthermore, the production of fur coats involves toxic chemicals that damage the environment and the health of the people. We should leave the animals be. We have our own skin, so why do we have to take theirs?
