Ellen DeGeneres Fights Animal Cruelty But Plugs CoverGirl?
Ruh Roh
Filed under: animals — Michael d'Estries @ 9:51 am
September 30th 2008
Last weekend, Ellen DeGeneres hosted a star-studded event in Hollywood raising cash and support for Proposition 2 — a ballot initiative in California that would outlaw confining crates and cages used in the factory farming of hens, veal calves and pregnant pigs. “I think no one goes out of their way to hurt an animal,” DeGeneres told the LA Times. “This isn’t even taking care of them,” She added. “It’s just making things a little better for them.” Ecorazzi was there and we’ll have a full video report later, but Deceiver.com brings up an interesting point regarding DeGeneres’s love of animals and her new gig plugging makeup for CoverGirl.
A couple weeks ago, Ellen announced that she was the new face of Covergirl. “It’s a very cool thing I’m honored and the photo shoot was ‘easy, breezy, beautiful CoverGirl,” she quipped. The campaign is set to launch in January. But here’s the problem…
Under their parent company Procter & Gamble, CoverGirl is one of the largest companies conducting animal testing in the United States — even though P&G says they’ve discontinued animal testing on 80% of their products. Do the remaining 20% of animals not have a voice then?
Frankly, this is pretty dissappointing for a someone like DeGeneres to throw her support behind CoverGirl one week and then say she “loves animals” the next at a giant fundraiser. Which one is it — or are we to believe that a paycheck makes those 20% suffering more tolerable to ignore?
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Tagged: ellen degeneres
It’s quite possible she doesn’t realize Cover Girl is a P&G brand. Maybe someone should educate her.
The way companies take over other companies and/or start new product chains, it’s sometimes hard to realize that one company is owned by another that conducts animal testing. And some brands may do no testing but are layers away from the corporate parent that does.
Agree. I mean, P&G has owned CoverGirl since 1989 though — you’d think Ellen’s PR people would be better homework.
I know Ellen has done tremendous work to help animals — sincere work — so this seems like an accident. Still, should she then apologize or make an effort to educate on others on animal testing as a result?
True, but P&G has owned CoverGirl for nearly 20 years. They have always tested on animals. And wouldn’t you expect the first thing any animal-rights activist would ask a cosmetics company BEFORE they signed the spokeswoman paperwork is whether the company tested on animals?
Hi!
This is totally ridiculus to judge her when it is 80%. 80% is an “A” do you have “A”s all the time. Please be real, not jealous of her wellbeing. She is only one and she is doing her best, stupid!
Judging will clog your spirit particularly to a good person! Stop this stupid comment and examine yourself before you write about her. No human being is prefect on this planet earth!
May the God of kindness shower you with love and kindness and that will override your jealousy of her well being!
Cheers,
Maria Loi
Maria Loi,
Sorry but I think your analogy is bullshit. Plain and simple. I don’t swear too much on this site but it is NOT the same as getting an 80% on a test. And the school where I went 80% was a C. NOT an A. (It’s a very low B at most schools) Maybe yours was different? But that’s not the point.
The point is *I* have even known since I was a kid back in 89′ that P&G uses deplorable methods with their testing. And I don’t even know that I believe they really cut down testing by 80%! I only use products from companies that have cut it out 100% (or never did any to begin with!)
Procter and Gabmle has a long sick history of their tests. They also own Iams which A)had tainted food sold to people whose pets died (pets *I* knew!) and B) does sick tests .. i mean SICK!.. on the pets they test. like the sweet hush puppies they did their muscle tests for their “muscle formula” which is BS anyway) where they cut their legs open and left them lying on the floor. The whole thing was exposed but even that coupled with the tainted food wasn’t enough to get people to stop buying Iams OR Eukenuba (also owned by the evil P&G)
Check this site out to see what they do
http://www.pandgkills.com/
For nearly 20 years they have been the worst in the industry.
Some believe the CEO is sick and likes to screw with animals. I’m not kidding. Why the hell can’t they just quit the testing? This is not to cure cancer folks (which I don’t think is going to happen with animals anyway) but this is for your chemical laden toothpastes and makeup. Do yourself the environment and the ANIMALS a favor and go organic!!
Here’s an awesome list of caring consumer animal test free products.
http://www.caringconsumer.com/
and not unexpectedly they also tend to rate the best for low to no carcinogens while with many of P&G’s products you might as well just ask for cancer with the stuff you’re rubbing/scrubbing/brushing onto your body.
Hope that helps.
ANd yes it’s a shame Ellen didn’t research the fact her company she is promoting is one of the worst when it comes to animals AND when it comes to chemicals.
Bottom line why do things ass backwards and make products FULL of chemicals that are tested on innocent bunnies and what not when you can make chemical free products that are organic (whether it be food OR make up) that doesn’t have to be tested on anyone?
Oh and I don’t have much goin for me but my skin is the best – ever since I switched to organic…
http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/
Notice Cover Girl comes in dead last for healthy products. I hope someone writes a letter to Ellen….
E
E – Thanks for the insight/links. I never knew all the brands P&G absorbed. What a bummer…
Ellen is a great asset to the animal rights and LGBT community and perhaps she weighed out her options and decided new coverage in CoverGirl would help the LGBT cause. It’s not Ellen’s fault CoverGirl sucks, but rather than complain, it’s best to be friendly when we educate her and the public about cosmetic animal testing.
P&G is the absolute worst company out there! I am always encouraging my friends and family not to purchase their products and always educate on how cruel they are!
WHO EVER BELIEVES ELLEN HAD NO IDEA ABOUT COVER GIRL IS AN IDIOT!!
Ellen is about as honest with people as Richard Nixon. She banks on the fact that people who love her are ignorant, and the fact that she is still successful is proof that she is correct.
Get real people – Ellen has less integrity than the top feeders in cooperate America. She needs to go.
Oh Michael, I had to read the title 20 times to figure out what “but plugs” had to do with Ellen. Bet you’ll get some interesting search engine hits from this one!
The “they stopped testing on 80% of their products, but what about the other 20% of animals” statement has to be one of the most ridiculous examples of mathematical ignorance I’ve ever seen. Talk about comparing apples to oranges . . .
Besides, the overwhelming majority of cosmetics companies that don’t test their products on animals only do so because they use ingredients and formulations that have already been approved as safe due to some other company’s testing in the past.
@Crunchbird — you’re right, that was a pretty inane statement on my part.
What I should have said was that they stopped testing on 80% of their products, but what about the other 20%?
Isn’t it time to stop all testing? Aren’t there enough natural ingredients available that we do not need to test on animals?
@Sally — Hahah, I didn’t even realize it read that way.
@Daniela — I agree. Ellen is a huge supporter of animal rights. I think this was something that slipped through; I just wonder how…
Might be time for a letter.
Ellen is well aware of P&G and that they test on animals. I made sure of it.
Also…they don’t just torture animals, they put animals in their so called “products”. I’m ill over this & have vowed never to watch or tivo ellen again. I let her know this, & frankly they didn’t bother to respond to any of me emails. Ellen is NOT VEGAN!!!!!!!!!!!!
isn’t she a bit to old to be covergirl? sales will plummet! she is wrong example to spoke-person items marketed toward teens. she stands for all the wrong things. this is sooooo sad.
I just stumbled upon this while researching Cover Girl. I am surprised that Ellen would knowingly promote a line of products that still participate in the cruel and unnecessary practice of animal testing. Maybe she is just unaware, although I am surprised that no one researched it. So, has she been made aware since September when this started and if not, how do we “educate ” her or her people?
Veganism is not strictly just a diet – it emcompasses every action you make and your lifestyle, and your morals, and mindset. By promoting a company she knows tests on animals (every animal rights supporter does their research before buying products – we all do it – She claims to be vegan thus she does her background research as well as the rest of us) she is going against the very foundations of veganism. By promoting others to use cruelty-based products, she is not a vegan by definition. Her actions quite frankly shocked me, I can’t understand her motive behind supporting covergirl, and ultimately P & G. Why not support a more undercover company that’s vegan? This would not just promote her morals, but being a celebrity she would educate the public and lead them to think twice about the companies they buy from. Don’t give me the excuse money – she has plenty of that. Mind boggling really.
Folks, cut the arrogance. Please. I’m vegan, and the computer I’m using tested on animals for all I know. I eat in a dining hall that serves dead animals. Most vegans I know eat in restaurants that serve dead animals. Therefore, you are supporting a place that sells dead animals!!! Guess you’re not vegan!! Please. I love Ellen. She and her wife are such a wonderful asset to the vegan movement, and she speaks so eloquently on behalf of animals. Donald Watson and the very first vegan organization that ever existed accepted people who followed the vegan philosophy but not necessarily the lifestyle (yet). The single most important thing about veganism is the philosophy, not the diet. Therefore, if you want to whine about how someone is not vegan, find someone who only consumes plant products but doesn’t follow the philosophy…
Ellen is smart enough to know this without my saying it. There is nothing superior about eating in a restaurant that serves meat or milk than there is about being on the face of Cover Girl. If you have a complaint, make it a complaint about Cover Girl, not a vegan who actually shares your and my philosophy. That is only detrimental to people who are trying to do their best, which all vegans are.
louche–eating at a place that serves animals when there is nowhere else to eat is one thing. it is a very different thing to (knowingly?) become the face of one of the cruelest, unenvironmental companies on the face of the planet.
and i agree with erin (E). “most” isn’t the same as all, and if it isn’t COMPLETELY CRUELTY FREE, it isn’t good enough.
Louche is right, much love to him/her. You guys call Ellen a ‘fake’ vegan for doing CoverGirl? You don’t know Ellen, stop acting like you can get inside her head.
What if i told you I was a vegan and I work at Burger King? Would you call me a hypocrite when you don’t even know my life story? Sorry, I can’t get a job at some super fancy vegan coffee shop so screw off, no wonder everyone assumes all vegans are elitist pieces of shit…It’s because most are. Most are so quick to call people out instead of defending them, and helping them. What a nice ‘community’ we have here. I hope I don’t have to encounter any of you harsher people in real life; You probably spit in my face becuase I’m not good enough.
louche, eating in a dining hall that serves dead animals is something else than actively promoting and / or supporting animal cruel companies.
and ashley, i hope you can find a nicer job.
on the other hand she is just promoting some dumb magazine, its not like she is promoting meat or fur or animal tested products.
if she would be promoting mcshit or murder king yeah THAN i would be upset about it.
Thanks herwin.
I reread what I wrote and geez, I was so having a bad day when I wrote that, lol.
There’s not much employment opportunies for teens here but I’m keeping my head up :]
You have no idea how thrilled I am that you put up this post as I have been wondering the exact same thing for months!! And you have got to be an idiot to think that P&G isn’t he parent company. Just look on the back of the makeup!! L’Oreal too!
P&G is bad, but they did invest a lot of money in animal testing alternatives, and allows other companies to use the methods it develops. P&G finances all sort of animal test alternative research. Not excusing what they do, but something to keep in mind nonetheless.
ELLEN I AM VERY DISSAPOINTED PLEASE STOP USING COVER GIRL
MAKEUP AS THEY DO ANIMAL TESTING AND IT GOES AGAINST WHAT YOU SAY YOU ARE FOR
THE ANIMALS THEY ARE GODS CREATURES
THANKS
I’ve been wondering when the P&G issue would come to surface in light of such a famous animal lover advertising Cover Girl- I’d love to know what Ellen’s response is to the issue of this company’s animal testing policies.
The idea that a vegan, who is passionate about animal rights and consistently opposes animal cruelty, would advertise such a barbaric industry, sounds highly hypocritical. However, I think Ellen opposes it, but idiotically goes out of her way to advertise for the company, so I don’t think it is hypocritical. But it’s sickening to think that she would do this.
I absolutely love Ellen…she has an amazing gift of humor and such a great outlook on life. I think that is why everyone likes her…its hard not to. I have been involved in animal rights since I was in 6th grade (I am now 30) and have written many letters to P&G about alternatives to animal testing yet this company as many corporate amercan companies will forsake everything for the almighty profit and try to conveniently hide their ignorance and arrogance by stating “we only now test on 20%”. It is truly sad. I think if anyone could have an impact on Cover Girl/ P&G, it is Ellen. I would love to see Ellen give them some pressure to eliminate ALL animall testing. Imagine getting acid and other chemicals shot into your eyes as you are strapped in a rotating table with your mouth gagged….thats Cover Girl for you. So anytime you make the choice to purchase Cover Girl or any other company that tests (Neutrogena, Rimmel, Oil of Olay to name a few) think about that. PETA.com offers an updated list as to what companies do and dont test on animals. Let me say that from the time when I was 11 til now the list has changed drastically for the better…thanks to PRESSURE and bringing this disturbing practice to light. So I hope Ellen sees the light and makes a behind the stage deal to only continue being a cover girl if they stop testingon innoscent animals.
okay, this doesn’t make any sense. if proctor and gamble spend oh sooo much money on finding animal testing alternatives, why dont they USE them?? i mean, first of all, why dont they take a gander at the compnaies that already use cruelty free testing methods? there are a lot of faster, less expensive, and more efficient ways to test products…why is proctor and geamble continuing to research something that already exists? and all there research is wasted if they won’t even use it. i like ellen, she’s funny and is trying to help, but this was a stupid mistake on her part. if she had promoted a cruelty free company, say, revlon or almay, it would have made a better impression.
Sadly it doesn’t the wonderful Ellen takes Animal Rights seriously.
If Ellen cares so much about Animals she would know what company she is promoting and if they test on animals.
This is not a comment pertaining to animal rights, but I am very distressed over Ellen’s new commercial where she states “inner beauty is not nearly as important as outer beauty”. Even if this is meant as a sarcastic comment, as I’m sure it is, it is a terrible message to send to all those young girls suffering from anorexia or bulemia. I am really so appauled by the commercial, I am no longer buying Cover Girl or Oil of Olay products. As I used to often buy them, I’m hoping this message will no longer be aired. I have seen an alternative message that Ellen is in and I think that is much better. I rarely comment about these things but I felt I just needed to state my feelings on this message. Thank you!
I think she is just a hypocrite. I like her show but when you make statements publicly about animal cruelty and then go and support one of the most cruel companies??? Don’t be fooled – she knew exactly what she was getting into. I guess profit always wins!!!
I am disappointed in her because she is one of the very few public faces who could have taken a stand against animal testing instead of promoting the brands who are the worst culprits!!!
Sadly, since few options exist, we vegans are faced with difficult choices. If you are seriously ill, you might have to take medicine that is not vegan, or that has been tested on animals. And, despite our best research efforts, most likely many of the products that we use have hidden animal byproducts (such as adhesives). We have to do the best (the very best) that we can.
But, as much as I adore Ellen and deeply appreciate the education that she provides on her show (more and more, now) about veganism and respect for animals…
The Cover Girl endorsement is deeply troubling. I mean, it goes beyond using a product made with animal byproducts, it is PROMOTING a product made of animal products AND tested on animals. And, it isn’t a necessity item, as is medicine!
Lovely animals should not have to die so that anyone can look ageless.
As others, I tend to feel (hope) that she got into this contract before becoming vegan (although, even so the animal testing should have been a big red flag) and has a contractural obligation to promote the product. IF she had hoped to use her influence to sway P&G’s animal testing policies, I think that she should make a public statement about that.
I anxiously await her actions when that contract terminates. Would be great if she and Portia would create a line of vegan cosmetics. The pickings are very slim there.