Should Vegans Buy Animal Prints?
Like many questions about veganism in relation to capitalism, there is no clear-cut answer
Recently, my partner and I have been redecorating our small porch space; we assembled brightly colored outdoor furniture, my grandma mailed us some planters she collected over the years, and we’ve got a small garden going with plants from local shops. Finally, we wanted to get an outdoor rug and decided to purchase a blue and tan tiger stripe rug.
But after purchasing the rug, I started thinking more about what buying animal print items means for me as a vegan. Am I glamorizing the abuse of animals for the sake of fashion, or am I appreciating the beautiful patterns of the natural world? And when I see this tiger stripe rug, am I going to think of majestic, wild tigers or am I going to be reminded of the exploitation and abuse of these animals?
Continuing to use these materials at all could also be considered a glamorization of the use of animals’ bodies in fashion and design.
Like many questions about veganism and ethics in relation to consumption, capitalism, and consumerism, these questions do not have clear cut answers. Even the use of items made with animal products is a…
