Fur Production is Cruel to People, Too October 27, 2009

Flipping through the new VegNews yesterday, I came across Rory Freedman’s brief retelling of a confrontation with a callous, nasty fur-wearer. In typical fashion, the perpetrator made it exceptionally clear that she didn’t give a flying fudge about the living beings who suffered brutish lives and extremely painful deaths to become part of a coat.

This was, of course, hardly surprising to me. In a previous job, I routinely had to interact with a large number of fur-loving women. All but one of them* were appallingly rude, whiny, self-entitled, and extremely spoiled. Their unpleasant behavior included, but most certainly was not limited to:

*Shoving AmEx cards in our faces (they all knew the establishment had never accepted them – and I’m not exaggerating; they were unusually aggressive)

*Throwing tantrums when there was a wait for a fitting room

*Verbally abusing staff (one was also prone to uttering ethnic slurs – go figure why someone like that was patronizing a business with a predominantly Asian staff, but she was such a bully that even the business owner was afraid to give her the boot)

*Coming in ten minutes to closing time and demanding same-day turnaround (my boss was quite adamant that she didn’t want to run her business like a sweatshop, so fulfilling such a demand was impossible)

*Coming by after closing time and banging – HARD – on the glass door (as if we were going to wait on anyone after hours – the older employees all had to relieve their babysitters and we younger ones all would have been late for our second jobs)

Do I have to go on, or do you get the idea?

I strongly suspect that someone who doesn’t give a damn about animal rights isn’t going to care all that much about human rights, either. However, the fur industry can in fact be cruel to people, too; and some image-conscious fur-wearers might stop wearing fur if they had any idea how horrible it makes them look. Only someone who truly doesn’t care if everyone knows they lack empathy (think Anna Wintour) can afford to act like they don’t care about the exploitation of the working class.

If you still haven’t picked up a copy of Ellen Ruppel Shell’s book Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture, it’s worth investing in a copy for the following passage alone:

So Deng, a migrant to Guangdong from a mountainous region of central China, told a Washington Post reporter in January 2009 how he had stood knee-deep in vats of hot toxic dye, seven days a week, twelve hours a day, at his job in the Overseas Fur Factory for a salary of $15 a month. Deng said many workers lost their footing or passed out in the fumes…

I was able to locate the article in the Washington Post’s online archives; a free preview can be viewed here (alas, the Post charges for viewing or printing archived articles in their entirety). However, do note that fur production is not the focus of the article.

That passage is also of use when dealing with anyone who falsely claims fur production can be eco-friendly (as mentioned, by yours truly, in several previous entries, faux fur is far more energy-efficient and much less toxic). Would a respected newspaper like the Washington Post make up a story mentioning toxic fur dye when the fur industry and its environmental effects were not the subject of the article in the first place? I don’t think so.

*ONE fur-wearer was polite and well-behaved…which may or may not have had something to do with the fact that her teenage son hated to come in for fittings until I started working there. He had a bit of a crush on me, so she shrewdly inquired about my work schedule. I have to admit it was clever of her.

Yet Another Infrequent Internet Roundup May 21, 2009

Some guy in Washington state, when told he could not use a lighting store’s restroom, proceeded to trash the place. I’m suddenly very glad my shop doesn’t have its own lavatory, even though locking up to dash off to the public restroom is not an easy thing to do on busy days.

Luxury goods conglomerate LVMH, one of the largest in the world, has purchased a minority share in fair-trade apparel brand Edun. Oh dear. Co-founder Bono points out that LVMH has the funds and the power to help the brand grow, therefore creating more sustainable jobs in the developing nations where their apparel is produced. He’s absolutely right about that, of course, but if it were my company I’d be worried about LVMH trying to meddle in how the business was run. Their chairman, Bernard Arnault, says LVMH shares Edun’s vision and values, and I’d like to believe him, but there’s a reason Arnault was dubbed “the wolf in cashmere” by the press. (Read Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster by Dana Thomas for further info on Arnault and LVMH.)

The LA Times reports that Southern California’s busty ladies FINALLY have a bra shop that caters to us – Jenette Bras in East Hollywood. The store carries D through K cups, and some of the bras on their website are actually pretty. I haven’t yet made the trek up to the store, but I will definitely be going soon.

The Shoe Lady Hates Phonies March 16, 2009

In yesterday’s Social Q’s column, Philip Galanes took a reader to task for buying a counterfeit designer watch and then pondering whether to own up to its illegal origins when complimented on it.

While I would have greatly preferred that Galanes mention the ugliest aspects of the fake-fashion trade (specifically, the organized-crime syndicates that finance most knockoff operations and the horrid sweatshops producing them), I do have to give him points for making the reader at least somewhat aware of the consequences of his incredibly stupid faux pas:

And try not to feel too guilty when you walk by your local elementary school or hospital. Because I can assure you, the counterfeiters didn’t pay a penny in taxes to support them.

As previously mentioned in several entries, I despise knockoffs. They represent the ugliest side of labelmania, and bring out the apathetic hedonist in otherwise sane people. No true vegan would ever be caught dead buying a knockoff; their sale funds exactly the sorts of things that compassionate, socially conscious people find absolutely despicable.

In other news, another kind of fake caught the eye of authorities in Vermont. Specifically, a young hunter illegally shot at least one immature buck and several does – then bolted a 10-point rack onto a doe’s head. Draw your own conclusions about the hunter’s IQ and/or need to overcompensate for a “personal shortcoming.”

Look what I found… November 28, 2008

Turns out you CAN legally force junk mailers to stop harassing you.

http://www.junkbusters.com/dmlaws.html

The law was created to stop junk mailers from sending sexually oriented advertisements to people who found them objectionable, but the Supreme Court ruled it can be used against anyone engaging in the offensive and wasteful practice of sending respectable people garbage they don’t want (though a federal Do Not Mail registry would be nice).

Junk mail is nothing more than trash. People who profit from creating and sending junk mail ARE trash. Let’s knock them down a few pegs.

P.S. Storewide sale at the Costa Mesa location through 5pm Sunday!

Imitation = Irritation November 13, 2008

This just in: even small-time designers have their hard work shamelessly stolen.

Rebecca Pearcy, owner and founder of Queen Bee Creations, was recently shocked to discover a pair of Robeez toddler shoes with a blatant copy of her popular “Chirp” bird on the vamps. Robeez, which is owned by Payless Shoes’ parent company (Payless is not a company known for coming up with its own designs…yet another way to cut corners), must really have no shame to steal a design from an artist with bills to pay…egad, can’t these people come up with their own work and let independent designers make the money they deserve off their creations?

I’ve ranted before about designer knockoffs being inherently unethical, but buying anything with a stolen design is wrong, even if it is not necessarily made in sweatshops or financed by terrorist groups. Robeez wouldn’t get a cent out of me anyway (their goods are not vegan), but I’ve got half a mind to forward the story to every Robeez retailer in the area. Who do these people think they are?

Beware of Humans – Forget the Dog! November 7, 2008

I’m convinced that there are very few truly bad dogs in this world.

I’m not saying that as a dog fanatic or anything; while I generally like dogs I am a definite cat person. Dogs are highly social pack animals who follow the lead of their human. If the human is cruel, the dog will learn cruel behavior. If the human shows restraint and rewards such behavior, Fido will learn restraint.

And, in the case of my neighbors, if the human is a disgusting and inconsiderate twit, the dog will honestly believe it’s acceptable to do things they don’t realize are disgusting and inconsiderate.

My bachelorette pad is right next to a community pool, and the entire neighborhood uses the path that passes my front door because that’s where the pool gate is. Some of my neighbors have dogs – mostly medium/large dogs. I don’t mind the dogs – frankly, most of them are cleaner, quieter, and far less annoying than their humans. What I do mind is the person who has been encouraging Rover to poop on and around the path. It’s revolting, unsanitary, a slip-and-fall hazard, and extremely rude.

I find it appalling that anyone that horrible is allowed to have animals. If they aren’t even willing to pick up their own dog’s messes, how willing will they be to get the dog fixed or take him to the vet when he’s sick or badly injured? Sooner or later, I will catch them, and I can only hope they’ll get evicted and be forced to give that poor dog to a nicer family (due to limited animal-friendly housing, I doubt the dog will be able to accompany them; applicants with prior evictions have a hell of a time securing non-slummy housing). No animal should be in the care of anyone who quite clearly isn’t fit to live in civilized society.

Why is it… September 19, 2008

…that some people think I’m a rich trust-fund brat or something to that effect?

Seriously, I’m not. Prissy? Sure. Rich? I wish!

I live in a neighborhood that has taken a dive in the past two years. I do not have luxuries like cable TV or a working set of speakers. I’ve been sleeping on an air mattress with a slow leak for months because I have needed a new bed for years and don’t yet have the funds to replace the beat-up, sagging one I’ve had since 1986, which has probably made my back problems even worse. I can’t even get our static-plagued phone line fixed (the phone company refused to install the line and doesn’t consider it their problem, and we had to fire the tech guy who did).

Rising fuel costs and the crumbling dollar have been killing small retailers for the past several months. I have worked way too hard on this business to throw in the towel, so I am standing my ground.

I was raised to believe that talking about money was vulgar (exceptions: discussions with financial consultants, accountants, bank loan officers, etc. and setting family budgets – and even then it should be kept brief). Haggling? Fit only for the flea markets (and even there I refuse to do it on principle). In our culture, one builds a relationship with a vendor over time and if they extend any special offers, great. (And believe me, if you patronize a good one really well for at least a few years it’s more likely to happen.) If not, one certainly shouldn’t be so rude as to ask. Really, cheapening things has killed and buried Main Street USA.

I realize not everyone is going to share my values and ethics, but that’s hardly an excuse for such disrespectful behavior.

And I’m not the only vegan retailer with similar feelings.

On an unrelated note, I cried buckets watching BONES the other night. If I had the space, funds, time, and landlord’s permission for a dog I probably would have started looking up dog rescue groups. I am rather fond of my best friend’s dog, a Dalmatian/pit mix she found abandoned on the side of a desert highway.

Who Are You Calling “Hostile”?! September 12, 2008

There are two kinds of people in this world: those who “get it” and those who don’t.

Sometimes, people who don’t necessarily “get it” wander into my store. I don’t mind. Cute handbags, cool shoes, and “Skinny Bitch” appeal to people who aren’t necessarily vegetarian or vegan. If they want to shop here, that’s fine with me. (I’m not in the habit of asking people about their choices, unless they need my help with something and I need more information.)

Unless, of course, they decide to cause trouble. Anyone with any self-respect would take exception to that.

Much in the same way that some omnivores get obnoxiously vocal and defensive the instant they find out someone quietly eating black bean soup at the next table is a veg*n, I’ve had a few people, upon realizing this is a vegan store, throw screaming fits that would make Naomi Campbell seem like the sweet girl next door.

The door inscription reads “Humane Attire for Men and Women.” There is a small sign on the door serving as a gentle reminder that real fur is not allowed inside our store (faux is fine with us). Apparently, nobody reads them or takes our location into account.

I wasn’t actually in the store at the time, but a few weeks after the grand opening, some woman came in and browsed, and asked what the store was all about. She didn’t even wait for the entire answer to commence howling like a banshee about how much she loved her leather Coach bags and didn’t care what poor unfortunate creatures had to disappear so she could keep living like that. (I’m paraphrasing, of course. Like I said, I wasn’t there.)

Don’t get me started on the former fur trapper (!) who threw an even bigger fit and had to be removed by security.

On another occasion, a sales representative for a sheepskin boot company actually came in the store with the intention of selling me some hideous UGG knockoffs (imagine me gagging here). When I very calmly said “No thank you, we are not interested” he refused to leave the store and started arguing with me! (Wholesale reps, a word of advice: being rude, obnoxious, pushy, or belligerent with ANY retailer will NOT help you sell things. It will have the opposite effect.) This is a respectable establishment; consequently, I don’t allow that sort of behavior and very nearly had to have him removed by the police (the security guards weren’t on duty yet).

Every few months, one particular woman comes in and asks for sheepskin boots. Every time, we tell her we have never carried them and never will. (Why would a store with a no-fur dress code carry sheep fur?!) We have politely reminded her, many times, that this is an animal-friendly business and consequently fur is banned. Usually she storms out, this time she exploded. If her temper tantrum had been an earthquake, it would have been at least an 8.0 on the Richter scale. She demanded to see my business partner (which will never happen, since she recently spent some time in the hospital for a stress-related illness and it’s my responsibility to keep people like that away from her), then stomped out screaming about ME being hostile. Since she has repeatedly been rude to my staff on top of her appalling behavior, she’s not allowed in the store anymore.

This is NOT the pot calling the kettle black. This is the pot calling the red enameled roasting pan black.

And fur-wearers wonder why animal lovers are more inclined to see them as violent.