Fur is all the rage in Indonesia right now — not because they’re in vogue, but because two Indonesian celebrities have sparked outrage for wearing them.
Indonesian singer Syahrini, who’s known for her glamorous style, wore what appears to be a fur coat during her holiday in Switzerland with her new husband, businessman Reino Barack. An animal rights group, Animal Stories Indonesia, identified the coat as being made of chinchilla fur and called out the 36-year-old singer on Instagram in an open letter.
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The account mentioned that chinchilla fur coat is an “it” fashion item as of late, made from the fur of chinchilla, a small rabbit-like rodent.
“To @princessyahrini [sic] who wore the chinchilla fur… Quoting Animal Legal and Historical Center, in some countries that produce the chinchilla fur coat, they obtain the fur in such inhumane ways — they kill [the animals] all in the name of business profit,” Animal Stories Indonesia wrote in the caption.
Soon after, the account called out Lucinta Luna, a dangdut singer who was at the center of a tabloid controversy last year over whether or not she had gender transformation surgery. The 27-year-old singer, who’s currently in Russia for work, wore what appears to be a fox pelt as a shawl (which she bizarrely named Salome).
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Animal Stories Indonesia actually posted about Lucinta twice because they said they suspected her to be “deliberately posting similar content” out of spite against the animal rights group after getting called out for the first time.
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“Doesn’t @lucintaluna want to understand about the suffering of animals that are made into clothes or fur coats? I will give you examples about the many kinds of traps to catch animals. From leg-hold traps, drowning set (a trap that makes animal sink), to conibear trap (a trap that crushes neck bones),” Animal Stories Indonesia wrote.
The caption went on to explain about the sufferings of animals at fur farms — such as foxes, minks, dogs, cats, and weasels — and gave some graphic examples of innocent animals fighting for their lives to get out of traps.
As of the time of writing, neither celebrities has responded to Animal Stories Indonesia’s posts. Syahrini has turned off her comment section in some of her recent posts while Lucinta doesn’t seem to mind people protesting her.
While fur clothing is common in some cultures, especially in the northern hemisphere, people started to learn about the unethical ways behind their creation since the ‘80s. Animal advocacy group PETA was founded in 1980 and they have been protesting the use of fur in fashion for decades by holding demonstrations outside major fashion shows and, infamously, throwing food on renowned fashion figures.
Public figures like Syahrini and Lucinta are role models to many. They should be aware that they are very much capable of popularizing fur as fashion, which could lead to more animal suffering. It’s 2019, time to get fashionably conscious and a faux fur coat, maybe?
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