Sometimes my own peculiar brand of social conservatism and consistent-life ethic socialism puts me into some difficult positions. For example: I am a strong supporter of PETA, particularly their dramatic, confrontational, and brave anti-fur campaigns. I have no problem with civil disobedience in the struggle against the fur industry. (Frankly, though I do not generally condone the destruction of property, I won’t utter a single word of criticism against those who choose more direct action against the producers and purveyors of animal coats. Of course, causing physical injury to another human or an animal is an unacceptable tactic.)
In a comment last week below this post, Col Steve points out something that I have chosen to ignore for a while: PETA uses sex to promote its anti-fur cause. One of their ads, featuring "Lolita" star Dominique Swain, is here; she’s one of several celebrities who have joined PETA’s "Rather Go Naked than Wear Fur" campaign. Dennis Rodman is the latest to join, and the first man. (Given the disgusting popularity of fur — particularly chinchilla — among today’s hip-hop artists, I am glad to see a black male athlete joining this campaign).
My feminism is troubled by the sexualization of bodies (male or female) in the service of any cause, be it commercial or charitable. I especially don’t like it as part of an anti-fur campaign. The wearing of fur for fashion is an inherently selfish act. It involves the extreme exploitation of another living thing for one’s own pleasure. Sexually explicit imagery is similarly problematic, in that it encourages lust for another living being’s skin without a concomitant emotional connection with and responsibility for that being. Of course, models in PETA ads are enthusiastic volunteers; slaughtered chinnies are not. But I think a radical Christian feminist consistent-life ethic (what a mouthful) insists that we treat all life, and all bodies, as sacred. The problem with using sexuality to make a political point is that it reinforces the notion that the body is a commodity designed not for our own delight and for sharing pleasure with another, but for selling a product or an idea. When we commodify the bodies of living things — young women or animals — we see them as existing for our own use and we lose sight of their immense value as part of God’s complex and unique creation. Though the animal world is indeed violent, we humans do have the free will and the means to change our diet, change our habits, and change the way in which we interact with our fellow creatures. This means moving towards a cruelty-free life, and also, I think, towards a life where human and animal bodies are seen as precious and worthy of protection, not exploitation and commercialization.
Stars like Dominique Swain are not necessarily being exploited, but they are encouraging the viewers of the ads to focus on their flesh rather than on their entire person. PETA knows full well, as we all do, that sex sells better than virtually anything else. In the struggle to end fur farming and save animals, the leadership has made a decision to use the base instincts of the marketplace to attract attention to a noble cause. On the one hand, in my eagerness to end fur farming, I’m willing to condone any legal tactic. On the other hand, I believe that the means we use to accomplish a long-term goal must be consistent with the goal itself. I don’t know that many other animal-rights folks have a consistent-life ethic, of course. But I do think that many of them share a commitment to building a world where all creation is valued and protected. And the soft-core pornography of the "Rather Go Naked" campaign is, I think, inconsistent with that long-term commitment.