Elle Mcpherson, the new face of mink, sorry elle, it's not 1955 anymore.

[Guest guest]

Elle's fur gets unwelcome scrutiny

October 8, 2005

 

http://www.theage.com.au/news/opinion/elles-fur-gets-unwelcome-scrutiny/2005/10/07/1128562996557.html

 

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The Body is now the target of a fatwa by animal rights activists,

writes Natasha Cica.

 

SO YOU think political correctness is dead and buried? That the

fashion mafia only concerns itself with heels and waistlines? That

corporate ethics is for, well, pussies? Think again on all counts.

 

Just ask Elle Macpherson. The Body, now 42, recently scored a big fat

modelling contract to the tune of $2.3 million with an outfit called

Blackglama. No, that's not a Jamaican porn website. It's a purveyor

of coats made from dead furry animals, touting for trade at the top

end of town. A "Natural Female" Blackglama mink coat with Russian

sable collar and cuffs easily sets you back upwards of $15,000.

Announcing the recruitment of Macpherson to the Blackglama "Legend"

advertising campaign, which has featured talent such as Judy Garland,

Marlene Dietrich, Elizabeth Taylor, Audrey Hepburn, Diana Ross, Cher,

Linda Evangelista and Cindy Crawford, the company's CEO said: "Elle

Macpherson is a great addition to this very exclusive group … She

embodies everything that Blackglama looks for in a legend — glamour,

sophistication, and timeless elegance."

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People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which claims to be the

world's largest animal rights organisation and whose co-founder

reportedly believes "a rat is a pig is a boy is a dog", saw things

differently. Its vice-president penned Macpherson the following fan

mail: "By making yourself the new face of fur for Blackglama you are

also making yourself a top target for PETA and animal activists

around the world … When you take money from such a violent industry

you also must carry their baggage."

 

Looking down the barrel of a PETA fatwa, Macpherson acted like any

responsible yummy single mummy with two young sons (call me

old-fashioned, but they're not rats, pigs or dogs — they're little

boys) and a bankable lingerie brand to protect. She tried pulling out

of the Blackglama pact at the 11th hour. But like all those

stitched-up minks, the Legend glossies are shot and waiting to walk

out the door into the northern autumn chill.

 

What if Macpherson is stuck like a fox in a trap? What will PETA

serve up? Maybe animal carcasses dumped on her doorstep — hey, don't

they deserve a decent burial? Or dropped like cuisine minceur on her

dinner plate, which is what PETA did to American Vogue's editor, Anna

Wintour, several years ago, in the face of her unapologetic no to

faux. Perhaps PETA's planning a "Body Odour" variant of its parody

perfume "Viscera" — meaning "vixen, impaled, stomach, carcass,

entrails, rotting aroma"? The ethical defenders described this as a

blend of "clandestinely collected samples of (Wintour's) venom, her

secret witch's brew", launching it as a stunt at Wintour's Moulin

Rouge party in 2001 and mailing samples to her professional

colleagues.

 

If inspired to bone up on some ethics, Macpherson should start with

slippery slope for beginners. Sceptics should note the latest Wintour

development. One of Vogue's fashion writers announced on TV that

Wintour does not like overweight people, because there are no pudgies

in her pages.

 

Now the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance is planning a

demonstration outside the magazine's Manhattan offices. What next?

Ian "Pearl Chic" Thorpe, oyster murderer?

 

It's shaping up as a field day for culture jammers. Or lawyers. Or —

in the alarming, alarmist times in which we live — law enforcement

officers. I can see the Howard-Beazley national security deal now:

lock down Double Bay or Toorak, detaining all poodles for their own

protection. Or is that for our protection?

 

Confused, I took a quick vox pop on The Body's dilemma. Citizen A,

style queen and parliamentary lobbyist, asked: "What happens to my

grandmother's astrakhan coat?" The ethics police at treehugger.com

are strangely silent on that one, despite their strident reminder

that every new coat "means that 30 foetal lambs need to be killed and

their carcasses will be thrown in the trash. Not only are they

killed, but the pregnant ewes are as well."

 

Citizen B, cat lover, sniffed: "Elle's a complete flake, albeit rich.

And I do wear Bendon undies, but not furry ones." Which all just

proves that one person's terrorist can be another's piece of fluff.

 

Dr Natasha Cica is a strategy and communications consultant.

 

 

 

There are victories of the soul and spirit. Sometimes, even if you lose, you win.

 

- Elie Wiesel