Reese Witherspoon is the latest celebrity to feel PETA’s wrath after she stepped out carrying a python skin Chloe Paraty purse. PETA glibly declared that “No matter how much Reese paid for that bag, the animals paid a higher price.”
The animal rights group then went on to explain that millions of snakes are impaled on hooks, pumped full of water to loosen their skins, and then skinned alive each year. That’s disturbing, but surely not every fashion house obtains their snake skins in such a barbaric fashion. I’m not suggesting that using any animal skin product would ever please PETA, but I also wonder whether it knows exactly how Chloe comes upon its snakeskin.
PETA says it’s sure Reese doesn’t support such acts of animal cruelty but declared the onus is on her to research such matters before indulging in a new accessory. The spokesperson then suggested that a faux snakeskin handbag would have been a much better choice.
It’s true that replica exotics have come a long way in recent years, but I wonder why PETA’s targeting the customer rather than the fashion house itself. Perhaps this is all about going after a big name, a move that’s guaranteed to garner some media coverage. It may also be disappointed that the woman it named the “sexiest vegetarian” a couple of years ago has now crossed to “the dark side.” Some commentators suggest Reese’s accessory choice is particularly troubling as snakeskin sales are banned in her native California, but let’s not forget how well traveled the actress is.
Do you think Reese should be ashamed of her accessory choice? Or should PETA find a better way to pass its time?
[Image Source: Eva Rinaldi/Wikipedia Commons]
