tell me about fur

[hydeparkhottie]

but I don't want to pay ridiculous amounts for it...why is it soo expensive? I've seen it on ebay and at markets for cheap cheap--and then everywhere else, it's super duper expensive...

whats the difference?

[Jackie0]

Do you mean faux or the real thing?

[hydeparkhottie]

I'm speaking about real fur, however, I've noticed that faux fur has recently become quite expensive as well.


What am I missing?

[CatCushion]

Chinese industry of skinning dogs alive is at the base of the fur trade. That's what you're missing.

[Bunbaker]

Is this a wind up?

There are lots of fur shops on the island of Crete. They are for the Russians who holiday there and buy fur because it is cheaper than at home.

[RockMummy]

OP are you for real?

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

Faux fur varies hugely in quality from the one that will give you static to the high end ranges.

I've seen Dennis Basso (furrier) selling his faux furs on TV , he always waxes lyrical about the feel and the lustre and OK they look nice enough but no idea how they feel.

WRT real fur - it depends on what pelt and where it's from.
Lots of cheapie furs can be dyed to mimic the premium furs. But how have these animals lived and died?

Or doesn't that matter ?

[hydeparkhottie]

girls
I'm wondering about the appeal. I think it looks really pretty but I haven't been able to bring myself to buy. I would be lying if I said I don't wear leather.

Is wearing leather completely different to wearing fur?

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

Is wearing leather completely different to wearing fur

Erm, yes.
Even leaving aside the ethics , leather is a by-product of the meat trade so it will be there if people eat meat.

Fur bearers are kept in horrendous conditions to provide that product. It's not neccessary unless you live in sub zero temperatures and even then there's alternatives.

How d'you get a fur off without damaging it. To kill the animal without cutting it's throat.
Gas
Electocute
Red hot poker up the rectum

But I think you are royally taking the pi* TBH , you ^Know the answers.

So, I;ll bid you farewell.

[FurryDogMother]

Fur is obscene. I despise anyone who wears it, and am perfectly comfortable with sneering at them in public. Makes you look like a twat.

[Angelhairscruff]

I saw an awful program about the fur trade once. It still makes me shudder years later. It is HORRID

[hydeparkhottie]

this is not a wind up

[hydeparkhottie]

angelhairscruff please tell me the name of this documentary.

I hate how judgmentally mean posters can be on a thread. I am new to thinking about fur, I genuinely never thought about it before. I want to talk about it.

70isalimitnotatarget a bit of kindness and understanding wouldn't hurt.

[Angelhairscruff]

I really have no idea, it was a long time ago. But if you do some internet research on the fur trade, I'm sure you will find some things that will put you off fur forever

[Bunbaker]

Fur clothing is an emotive subject these days hydepark

Are you from the UK?

[kilmuir]

Looks even prettier on the animal it was taken off.
Google fur trade

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

Hey, I'm being kind here.

Put this on AIBU if you want unkind

What does "new to thinking about fur" mean anyway?
Unless you've been living in a bubble?

I'm 48 and turned vegetarian at 14 because I knew the facts. Even before the internet I had seen things that cannot be unseen.

I'd never pour paint over someone or call them a c**t for wearing fur but many would.

Go and buy some if you want. But don't come the innocent. Fur has been wrong since before I can remember.

Now I'm off to get my three fur coats. Beautiful real fur.
All being worn by their proper, rightful, true, unharmed owners -my three guinea pigs.
They suit them a darn site better than anu human ever could.

[WorriedMutha]

I am amongst those who are disgusted with fur and the fur trade. This is a mainstream view in this country and you risk public abuse for wearing fur. I think you really should do a bit of googling and watch some online videos before you jump in (and then hopefully you won't). It really doesn't compare to leather although there are issues with that also.

[CatCushion]

What part of skinning dogs alive sounds acceptable to you? Think you're buying another type of animal that has had a happy, free life and a quick death? You can't know. Unless you killed the animals yourself, you cannot know what you are buying.

Then there's ensagered species, invasion of escaped mink from those farmed for their fur which compete with indigenous wildlife for food and habitat.

[AlleyCat11]

Second-hand is usually cheaper than new, with anything. Vintage fur is probably better, as fur was much more popular & a status symbol back in the day, before animal rights awareness.
Fur is the warmest thing you can wear, faux fur is just for the look. You don't need to wear fur in the UK climate. I understand why folk in cold countries wear it.
I was given a vintage fur & I wore it out once. It was a freezing night & the warmth felt like I'd never left the house. I was expecting a bad reaction to it, but was shocked to find other women admiring it & stroking it all night.
I gave up meat, because I don't like it. But since then I've become more clued in on the ethical reasons to do so. The fur is gone now. I do wear leather, though.

[GobblersKnob]

Wouldn't be seen dead in real fur, do love faux though, totally disagree that it is not warm, it's very insulating because of its composition, just as real fur is as it traps loads of air. Real fur may be warmer, I wouldn't know and wouldn't want to.

[hydeparkhottie]

Fur has never been a conversation in my home...never. In my circles, we don't talk about what we wear. We just wear what we do and no one talks about individual pieces.

I have lately started to admire furry things. I can't tell between real and fake, I have not touched or compared.

[namelessposter]

I assume that the fur-haters here are also vegetarian. Anyone who purports to hate fur but happily buys 2-for-1 cheap chicken in Tescos has some seriously distorted personal values.

[FurryDogMother]

It's never been a conversation in my home either - I found out about 40 years ago what the fur trade entailed (from reading things like books, magazines and newspapers), and have been totally against it ever since. If you're an Inuit and go out and hunt animals for their meat and fur, and use that fur to keep yourself alive in an extreme climate - well, I can accept that but if you're not, you look like a total fool draped in dead animal.

Fake fur is fine with me though!