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PETA and Nudity

As an organization staffed largely by feminist women, PETA would not do something that they feel contributes to the very serious problems that women face. The "naked" demonstrators and billboard models choose to participate in their actions because they want to do something to make people stop and pay attention to animal abuse. PETA features men in their more provocative ads and events, as well:

*    http://www.LettuceLadies.com/broc.html
*    http://www.PETAIndia.com/mods3.jpg
*    http://www.FurIsDead.com/feat-Rodman2.asp
*http://www.barewitness.org/photoalbum/Paris-fur.htm

You might find it interesting to consider that it is the societies that allow women to wear revealing clothing in which women have the most rights and the most power. Likewise, it is the societies that punish women for wearing revealing clothing in which women have the fewest rights and the least power--they are considered chattel who must do as they are told. Should women only be allowed to participate in activism if they promise not to show their bodies or use their bodies as political statements? If a person chooses to use his or her physicality and sexuality to convey a message of his or her choosing, aren't those who would censor him or her, even if their motives are good, also somewhat guilty of disrespect and repression?

Take Ms. Traci Bingham, for example, who posed for our "All Animals Have the Same Parts" ad campaign (http://www.GoVeg.com/feat/tracibee/). She is a deeply committed vegetarian who is known to millions for her television work, including beating out a platoon of men to excel in an endurance test called "Boot Camp." She is strong-natured, and she has chosen to use her body as a political tool to grab public attention for serious animal issues. In this case, Ms. Bingham felt offended by the traditional "meat" posters that treat animals as "parts," and she wanted to make the point that neither they nor women should be viewed as parts--we are all precious.

As you know, billions of animals are bred every year for the sole purpose of having their bodies chopped up, stamped with the label "USDA meat," and stuck into tidy packages on supermarket shelves. Like us, animals raised for their flesh have personalities and feelings, and they form families and friendships if given the chance. But factory farms deny animals everything that is natural and enjoyable to them, condemning them to tortured lives in filthy, cramped cages, stalls, and sheds, where only a steady diet of drugs keeps them alive long enough to be prodded to the slaughterhouse.

Our purpose is to stop animal suffering like this, and we use all available opportunities to reach millions of people with powerful messages. We have found that people do pay more attention to our racier actions, and we consider the public's attention to be extremely important. Sometimes this requires tactics--like naked marches and colorful ad campaigns--that some people find outrageous or even "rude," but part of our job is to shake people up and even shock them in order to initiate discussion, debate, questioning of the status quo, and of course, action. After PETA publicized our "State of the Union Undress," for example, we were rated the number one "mover" on Yahoo's search engine, meaning that PETA received the greatest percentage increase of terms searched that day. The current situation is critical for billions of animals, and our goal is to make the public think about the issues. Although some consider our projects that include nudity to be controversial, many women express support for these tactics.

However, PETA does make a point of having something for all tastes, from the most conservative to the most radical and from the most tasteless to the most refined, and this approach has proved amazingly successful--in the more than two decades since PETA was first founded, it has grown into the largest animal rights group in the world, with over 1.1 million members and supporters worldwide. For more information about PETA's vital work for animals, please visit http://www.PETA.org/about.  

Please know that we respect your right to disagree with our tactics but hope that you will continue to support projects that you do agree with, such as our free vegetarian starter kit giveaways (http://www.GoVeg.com/order.asp) or our low-cost spay/neuter clinic (http://www.HelpingAnimals.com/).

Thank you for providing us with this opportunity to respond to your concern and for all that you do to help animal
On From Population to PETA posted 2 years, 2 months ago 101 Responses

PETA works tirelessly against factory farming

...and corporations that are cruel to animals. Check out BloodyBurberry.com, KentuckyFriedCruelty, Iamscruelty.com, and many others. www.PETA.org is a good place to start to learn more.

Do your homework and you'll see PETA has support from the right, the left, and everyone in between.     On PETA VP argues vegetarianism is the best way to help the planet posted 2 years, 2 months ago 77 Responses

Um, no. That animal is about as vegan as a Big Mac

Vegan means eating no animal-derived food; how much or how little carbon is produced is irrelevant. It just so happens that vegan food produces far less carbon and wreaks far less havoc on the environment than does animal-derived food.

Regardless of why one is vegan (there are many terrific reasons: health, respect for animals, the environment, combat poverty, and more) the fact remains that a vegans' impact on the world is a more benign, positive, and humane one than a meat-eaters'.

As a former meat-eater and athlete who loves to eat, I have never eaten a diet that is more full of variety, nutrition, and delicious options than I have since adopting a vegan diet. Meat eaters have no idea what they're missing out on.

Check out the benefits of a veg diet at www.GoVeg.com.  
 On Veganism: All or nothing? posted 2 years, 2 months ago 30 Responses