People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has announced on February 4 that it will be ending its famous anti-fur “I’d Rather Go Naked” campaign—which convinced famous Hollywood celebrities to pose naked—after 30 years.
The animal rights group said it is retiring its famous campaign now that it has seen change coming when it comes to fashion and using fur.
According to PETA, there has been a growing number of famous fashion brands that are now staying away from animal skin, and that the 30-year-old awareness ad is no longer necessary.
“It’s kind of rare for a charity to be able to cancel a campaign because of its success. We all struggled for so long to make headway, but I think the tipping point has been reached in the past few years, with so many people and designers turning off of fur,” CNN quoted PETA’s senior vice president of campaigns Dan Matthews as saying.
He added that the decision is also due to the legal fur raids in places like California—the first state in the USA to ban selling of fur products.
CNN reported that Matthews was the one who conceived the campaign and the slogan back in the 1980s. It gained worldwide support from celebrities when The Go-Go was photographed for the ad poster, with the slogan saying “We’d Rather Go-Go Naked Than Wear Fur.”
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Other famous personalities who followed suit include Christy Turlington, Tyra Banks, Kim Basinger, Gillian Anderson, Tommy Lee, and Steve-O. The proceeds from the sale of their posters were all donated to PETA.
“PETA’s goal is always to reach as many consumers as possible,” said Matthews in an interview with CNN.
The campaign has inspired so many prominent fashion brands to ditch fur and exotic animal skins, such as Prada, Chane and Burberry, as per the CNN report. Other personalities who have announced their rejection of animal skin in favor of synthetic fur include famous designer and model Victoria Beckham, and Queen Elizabeth II—who had been a long-time user of fur.
In addition, places around the world have followed suit after imposing fur ban in California. In southern Africa, for instance, designers have started creating replica leopard furs.
Matthews said that since PETA has made its point about fur, the organization will now be expanding its focus on other animal rights issues—including promoting vegan lifestyle as well as advocating against wearing leather and wool.
“Fur is dead, and PETA has so much other work to do… that we thought, ‘You know what? Three decades is a great run. We made our point, fur is falling from fashion, and now it’s time to use that same energy to expand our focus,” CNN quoted Matthews as saying.
