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Elizabeth Turnbull 1/11/17 Elizabeth Turnbull 1/11/17

Should Vegans Wear Faux Fur?

Most vegans feel certain that they don't want to wear real fur. Even if they love the look, over time it becomes apparent that skin is not fabric. With fur, this feeling of repulsion happens much more easily than with leather, even though there's not really much difference between the two. Even non-vegans may be uncomfortable with the idea of wearing a real fur coat.

But what about faux fur?

Is it ok for vegans to wear it? What kind of message does it send? Let's take a look.

But what about faux fur?

Is it ok for vegans to wear it? What kind of message does it send? Let's take a look.

Should Vegans Wear Faux Fur? // Plant Based Bride

First, let's start with the possible negative impacts of wearing faux fur:

ONE Wearing faux fur promotes all fur.

You may not be supporting the fur industry directly, but when you wear faux fur (especially faux fur that looks real) you are advertising for the fur industry.

This is the number one reason I hear from vegans that claim wearing faux fur is wrong. The idea is that someone will see you wearing a faux fur coat, think it looks great, and go buy themselves a real one. In this way, you are indirectly causing suffering to animals.

To play devil's advocate for a second, I don't think vegans (or anyone) should be responsible for the actions of others. We all make our own choices. If I wear my vegan winter boots and that influences someone to go buy boots that are similar but contain wool, leather, shearling, or fur - is that really my fault? I don't think so.

However, I can understand why wearing realistic faux fur is different. Someone who sees it and likes it is having the idea that fur is fashionable reinforced in their head, faux or otherwise. And that's not something we want.

TWO People will judge you for it.

When you wear faux fur, there's always the possibility that someone will think it's real, and judge you for it. You might not care, but people who know you're vegan may get mixed messages. About what veganism means, about what it represents, and about what vegans believe.

As possibly the only vegan someone knows, it's up to you to represent the movement as well as you can. Someone who sees you wearing what they believe to be real fur may lose respect for vegans and not give the vegan movement the consideration and respect it deserves.

Once again, to play devil's advocate, you are not solely responsible for someone's impression of veganism. You don't need to be the poster child for veganism for all of your family and friends, 24/7. You're human. You still have to live your life. I don't mean that you should be buying burgers for all of your friends and get decked out in animal products head to toe, but be a perfect vegan? Not only is that not a requirement, but it's not even possible.

So I guess what I'm saying is, do your best. Whenever you can, aim to be a positive representation of veganism. But if you just want to eat vegan grilled gary in your pj's and faux fur jacket from time to time, you do you.

THREE It represents a horrific industry.

Wearing faux fur is glamourizing wearing the skin and hair of another animal, and that's pretty opposite to the whole core belief behind veganism. Even if it's faux fur, it represents a garment and an industry based on the skinning of animals.

Maybe, just maybe, not something you want wrapped around you.

Ok, so negatives aside, let's talk about the possible positive impacts of wearing faux fur. (Yes, there are some.)

ONE It proves that vegan fashion can still be badass.

If fur fits into your style, rocking it ethically may just be the best way to show others that cruelty-free fashion is just as awesome as the cruelty-filled kind. (Just so long as they know it's faux. More on that in a minute.)

TWO It shows others how far vegan materials have come.

I can't count the number of times I've had people tell me they can't believe my Matt & Nat bags are vegan. The leather looks so REAL, they say. Yeah, because vegan materials are sexy AF. And don't hurt anybody. So basically win-win.

THREE You're voting with your dollar.

It's a cliche, but it's a valid point. When you buy faux fur, especially from a company that also sells real fur, you're showing them that faux fur is more profitable. When you buy faux fur from a vegan company, you're helping to support an ethical brand. In both cases, you're helping sway the tide toward more compassionate fashion.

So, should vegans wear faux fur?

It's really up to you.

If you want to wear it, I suggest investing in a pin or patch to add to it that makes it clear that the fur is faux. These are a couple of the many options out there (click on the image to buy):

So how do you feel about vegans wearing faux fur? Would you ever do it? Let me know in the comments below.

If you find this topic interesting check out the post I wrote on wearing leather as a vegan here and about the fur industry here.

Until next time,

Vegan FAQs

With the holidays solidly here, I found myself thinking about the post I wrote last year at this time about Surviving the Holidays As A Vegan. Going into my fourth holiday season as a vegan has me feeling pretty confident. I know my stuff, and that makes handling the holidays MUCH easier. Despite that, I still get stressed out this time of year. All of a sudden, maybe it's the cold weather or the excess of Christmas, fur and wool and whole tables covered in meat become the norm. It's hard to witness, I'm not going to lie. I thought about what I could do this year to be the most help for those of you who are new to veganism in handling the holidays, and covering frequently asked questions felt like a really good place to start.

So let's do it! Here are a bunch of frequently asked questions and brief (yet hopefully complete) answers to them!

HEALTH/NUTRITION QUESTIONS

Is a vegan diet healthy? Not necessarily, just like a non-vegan diet isn't necessarily healthy. You can be a vegan and only eat junk food and candy. However, a plant-based diet with a focus on whole foods definitely is healthy. It lowers your risk of cancer by 30-50%, lowers your risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes, and reduces your likelihood of being overweight, among other positive health benefits. (Learn more here)

Is a vegan diet healthy for kids/elderly/pregnant women? Yes! This has been confirmed once again by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in the December issue of their medical journal. (Learn more here)

Where do you get your protein? From plants. All plant foods contain protein, even fruit like apples and oranges. High-protein plant foods include beans, tofu, nuts, seeds, grains, green peas, artichokes, and oatmeal, among many others. (Learn more here)

How do you get enough protein without meat, dairy and eggs? Humans need far fewer grams of protein than we think. Protein deficiency simply doesn't happen in humans eating sufficient calories and isn't a true concern. Adult men need on average 56g of protein a day, and adult women need on average 46g. This can be achieved very easily with plant foods. (Learn more here)

What do you eat? Delicious, healthy, filling food that didn't involve killing anybody - every day. I eat oatmeal, smoothies, fruit, salads, stir fries, lasagna, shepherd's pie, roasts, french fries, cookies, and just about anything else you could think of. (See a day of what I eat here or check out the vegan food pyramid here)

Do you miss meat/cheese/milk/etc.? No. It took time to break the habit of craving certain types of food, but my taste buds changed. Plus, if I ever did feel like having cheese, there's vegan cheese galore! (See my video on this topic here or read my blog post on the subject here)

Where do you get your calcium? According to the Harvard School of Public Health, milk is not the only or even best source of calcium. You can easily meet your calcium needs by eating plants such as broccoli, dark leafy greens, and edamame. (Learn more here)

Where do you get your omega-3s if you don't eat fish? I get my omega-3 fatty acids from the same place fish do - algae!

How do you get B12? The soil's nutrient content has been eroded, leaving us with far less B12 in the soil than there once was. I take a B12 supplement from time to time, and that has been sufficient to keep my B12 levels in a healthy range. In fact, doctors have pointed out that B12 deficiency is a risk for everyone, not just vegans or vegetarians. (Learn more here)

What about iron? There are many high-iron plant foods such as legumes, brown rice, quinoa, spirulina, and blackstrap molasses. If you make sure you get high-iron foods regularly, iron deficiency won't be a problem for you. If you tend towards anaemia or have trouble absorbing iron, you may want to ensure to take in high-iron foods daily along with complimentary foods that aid absorption or take a daily iron supplement. (Learn more here)

PHYSIOLOGICAL QUESTIONS

Aren't humans omnivores? Actually, no. All of the physiological clues point to humans being herbivores. The length of our small intestines, our teeth, our jaw movement, our digestion time - everything aligns with other herbivores such as chimpanzees. In other words, you are not a lion. And you're not a carnivore. You don't chase down your victim and catch it in your teeth. You don't rip into their living flesh and start eating them raw. You don't eat every piece, every organ, of their body without discrimination. You are not meant to eat meat.

ENVIRONMENTAL QUESTIONS

Doesn't it take more land to feed vegans than omnivores? Actually, no. It takes 18x more land to feed an omnivore than it takes to feed a vegan for a year. If everyone went vegan, we'd actually use less land than we currently do! (Learn more here)

Wouldn't animals take over the world if we stopped eating them? No. The inflated numbers of animals raised for livestock are representative of the demand for their flesh and fluids. Without an industry offering financial gain to those who breed them, we would end up with far smaller populations of these animals.

MORALITY QUESTIONS

Why is killing and eating animals wrong? There isn't a clear-cut answer to this question. I believe it's wrong because they are sentient beings who can feel pain and suffer. For this reason, I believe harming them unnecessarily is the wrong thing to do. Since humans can easily live without animal products (and will, in fact, be healthier without them) the killing of animals on such a huge scale is completely unnecessary, and therefore morally wrong.

Why should I care about animals? Because they are sentient beings who can suffer. They deserve as much consideration as anyone else - including humans and animals we tend to protect like dogs and cats.

Do fish feel pain? Yes, they do.

Aren't animals dumb? No. Pigs are as intelligent as a 3-year-old human child, more intelligent than your dog.

What about humanely raised meat? It doesn't exist. Standard farming practices cause unnecessary suffering and the raising of animals for food is inherently cruel. The milk industry, for example, cannot exist without the artificial insemination of female cows, the separation of newborns from their mothers, and the slaughter of baby male calves who will never produce milk. There is nothing humane about it.

What about free-range eggs? Free-range is a term that is very loosely regulated. All it means is that the animals have to have access to the outdoors. It can be a tiny door that only allows 20 of 100,000 chickens outside to a fenced in area for 20 minutes, once a year.

Why don't you eat honey? Because bees make honey for themselves. They work tirelessly to produce it as food over the winter and as a way to build their home. Many bees are killed in the process of bee keeping. (Learn more here)

RELIGIOUS QUESTIONS

What about kosher? Kosher meat is still coming from an animal who had no autonomy to make their own decisions during their lives. They were still killed long before their natural life would end. Today's kosher meat often comes from the same factory farms as non-kosher meat and the animals experience the same abuses. Despite traditional practices considered 'more humane', even true kosher meat is still, in my opinion, morally wrong. (Learn more here)

Doesn't the bible tells us to eat meat? The bible doesn't require those who follow it to eat animal products. In fact in Eden, God's ideal, humans were meant to eat only the plant foods. There are many devout Christians and Jews who abstain from animal products, as they believe a vegan diet is best-aligned with their beliefs. (Learn more about Christian vegans here and Jewish vegans here)