November 25th 2008
Animal-Loving Hayden Panettiere Designs Calfskin Leather Bag
Filed under: not green, products — Michael Parrish DuDell @ 10:38 am
Hayden Panettiere is making my head go all crazy this morning after learning that she’s teamed up with Dooney & Bourke to promote a smorgisborg of leather bags.
As many of you know, Panettiere is not only a vegetarian, but has worked super hard to bring attention to saving the whales in Japan. So I’m just a little confused about why she’s not only peddling their less than cruelty-free products, but has even created her own $295 “Hayden Clutch” – an Italian calfskin clutch decked out with a 24-carat gold plated lion head. CALFSKIN!!
I think there’s a real disconnect here with Hayden (and many other animal-friendly people) when it comes to leather products. How can you work so hard to help one animal and then actively contribute to the deaths of so many others? Do you think Hayden is being a little hypocritical or is leather not that big of a deal? Chime in and share your thoughts!!
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Of course she’s hypocritical. She suffers from what Gary Francione calls ‘moral schizophrenia’, which sadly affects a lot of people, although as a vegetarian she should be able to see the paradox.
Hypocritical is anyone who says he’s an animal right protector and wears clothes and eats meat…you know wool comes from animals too…
Now eat your burger and wear you clothes in peace!
That bag is adorable, but for the love of god, what purpose does it serve for it to be leather? Does anyone really give a crap about what fabric their bag is made out of? She did a Dooney and Bourke bag last year too, also in leather. I really wish she would explain this publicly, when she claims to be such a huge animal advocate. I think the thing about her being a vegetarian is a rumor.
Thank you! Finally! Someone spoke up about this on Ecorazzi!
Like I commented before, it’s a major double standard.
I think this happens a lot. Just like advocates for pets who do a lot for shelter animals but are still meat eaters, it’s one of those things I think I’ve put my finger on.
Whales are majestic, dogs and cats are companions, cows are out of sight out of mind. It’s not fair, it doesn’t make sence, but that’s how they think.
rawr…yet another celeb gives AR a black eye by confusing the public.
It seems she only cares about animals that don’t affect her personal life at all. Just like people who claim they’re animal lovers when they’re really just cat, dog, and horse lovers.
Honestly, leather can be so difficult to avoid these days, it is in/on just about everything, it seems. So I can *sort of* understand the dilemma…for a REGULAR EVERDAY PERSON! And even then, it’s tough.
Not a celebrity who has a SAY in what her new clutch is made out of! She could have just as easily told them, “no no, let’s make it out of faux leather instead!”
I saw his ghastly leather bags in Macy’s. She may as well be selling fur.
Actually, leather is not very difficult to avoid. I’ve been a vegetarian for over four years now, and do not own anything with leather. There are many stylish leather alternatives in the fashion world. I think Hayden enjoys the image of loving animals, or rather the idea of it, but when it comes actually putting in an effort in her own life she is sadly hypocritical and lazy about it. When you call yourself a vegetarian and a fighter for animal rights, that includes the rights of all animals. Yes, it can be challenging at times, but that is the sacrifice you make when you decide that animals lives are more important to you than taste and style. I’m very disappointed in her.
[...] Hayden just launched a new line of clutch purses for D&B, made of “soft, supple Italian calfskin,” and everybody’s like, “LOL WUT?” Especially a certain “animal [...]
It is perfectly ok to wear leather or purchase products made of leather. Animals are here on Earth for our consumption. Meat is not murder and all who think otherwise are fools. There is a natural food chain and we are on top. Deal with it. Don’t eat meat or wear animal products if you don’t want to but remember, that’s your choice, not ours. Real men and women eat meat and wear baby cows.
Of course leather is no big deal, not everybody is a vegan and their are a lot of beef eaters out there. What about the hides that aren’t eaten?
This girl is such a freakin’ hipocrite man and she is like save the whales from being massacered and marching on capitol hill but oh what is it like a double standard or something that she is promoting dead cows man she needs to wake-up and realize how backwards she is somebody is showing there hair color all too well…………
well if you want the industries to dry up, then you need to start lobbying the government to end corn farming subsidies. Without access to the world’s largest supply of empty calories, the price to raise the cows would become prohibitively high. The problem isn’t necessarily that people are making things with leather, what they do on their own time that doesn’t affect anyone is their own business. But technically, they’re taking your tax dollars to make that bag a little cheaper (or realistically to drive the profit margin up). Massive lobbying for small steps each time will ultimately move everything. Force them to feed the cows healthy feed and to let them walk around all day without being immediately surrounded by ten million of their siblings. Then force them to contain, filter, and purify all the waste that the animals create, so that none of the groundwater is affected.
Also…guarantee most people wouldn’t care at all if whales weren’t nearing extinction
We went to PETA with this and got a response.. check it out here:
http://www.thecelebritytruth.com/animal-activist-hayden-panettiere-launches-calfskin-clutch/005094
I just wanted to point out that you shouldn’t assume she’s a vegetarian because she is an animal rights activist. I’m a vegetarian because I’m an environmentalist. I also believe in animal welfare but will wear leather (try to buy scrap) over synthetic materials - again because I’m an environmentalist.
[...] one has a clear answer, but you can check out these articles by Ecorazzi and All Headline News and then discuss here: What do you think about Hayden’s [...]
Angela, you do realize that raising cows for products including leather is unsustainable in the long term, right? You’re best bet for being as eco-friendly as possible is just to shop secondhand.
Hey, aren’t cock roaches, spiders, ants, and the like also animals? We shouldn’t be killing them either. And plants and trees have feelings. I think we should give them all the right to vote. Maybe they’d vote better than 50% of the people did in the last US Presidental election.
You are all forgetting one very important point here which explains it all. She is a blonde!
Whoooaaa. I am in shock here as I have admired Ms. Panettiere for some time.
In some ways you might even say that killing a cow (sacred little critters - I love em’) is worse than killing a majestic whale because at least the whale gets to live its life in the wild until it dies. Whereas the cow suffers her entire life barely able to move in captivity.
Also to the Kost dude who talked about wearing clothes- i don’t wear or buy wool. I don’t wear or buy leather. I am even working at not wearing Pleather anymore.
I realize I can dress very stylish (especially here in sunny florida) wearing a cute organic hemp dress with my hemp bamboo heels! Who needs pleather (environmentally NOT friendly) who needs leather?
My goal is long term to live on nice warm island with tropical breezes with nothing but my organic clothing (whether it be soy bamboo etc) and some cute hemp shoes to boot… i might have a coat but who needs the p/leather?
that’s my ultimate goal.
I am so sorry Hayden is a hypocrite. She’s only 18 so let’s hope she learns.
And personally?? I think that bag is BUTT ugly.
E
hypocrisy means acting in contradiction to ones professed beliefs. While a public vegetarian an activist for some animals, has she professed to be a vegetarian and activist because she loves and wishes to protect all animals?
There are many reasons to become and remain a vegetarian - love of all animals is just one of the more prominent motives; it’s not the motivation for everyone. Likewise, one can love many animals and that love is not diminished because of actions against other animals. Not everyone believes that the entire animalworld is equal.
I find it discouraging that so many are lurching into antagonism and holier-than-thou postures. Ultimately we do all need to be more aware of what and how we consume- energy, food, entertainment, merchandise, etc. Throwing blame and casting derisions are probably the least successful ways to raise consciousness.
But, if it makes you feel to superior to make the world black and white, go right ahead.
This is the oddest thing i have ever read. It seems crazy she is trying so hard to save one thing, yet kill something else. If you are a vegetarian, then why would you create a bag that you will clearly kill animals to make? That is so strange to me.
jim - speak for yourself. since i was a little girl i’ve never killed ants spiders or anything else for that matter. and just your comment about the presidential election tells me all i need to know.
and poorav, missed your comment earlier. i’m a blonde too. and from the name of my website brainyblonde i’d like to break the stereotype on blondes. Hayden may end up being a ditzy blonde in the end. but there are plenty of exceptions!
I don’t see anything hypocritical about trying to save an ENDANGERED species, versus, making bags out of the UBIQUITOUS cow.
Do cows deserve to not be consumed? Maybe, but I think its worth pointing out that if the inbred, genetically modified cows of today were all simultaneously released into the wild… they would quickly become extinct.
I am a vegetarian and I therefore refuse to purchase or wear leather. This woman values money over her “principles”. If you wouldn’t eat a calf how could you possibly turn one into a purse?
I think these actions are very common with celebrities that “want” to do good, or want to make themselves look like they are doing good. I am a vegetarian and I will admit that I did buy a pair of hiking boots that have some leather on it. However, these will probably be the only leather product I will buy in atleast 5 years, and will look for an alternative after that. However, Hayden Panettiere is expecting to sell thousands if not millions of these leather bags, a contribution that makes our purchases seem tiny. But this happens all the time, celebrities ride the “animal loving” band-wagon but stop far short when money is involved.
I know it’s not PC yet to avoid leather and meat products, but that’s because a lot of “animal lovers” and “environmentalists” are a joke that can’t be taken seriously. Take PETA–it claims to love animals and says that fur and meat are murder, but they killed about 90% of the animals they took in last year. They’re the real hypocrites. And I’ve got news for you: Meat is NOT murder.
However, I do think that most meat consumed in America is unnecesary these days. We don’t need to eat meat to survive anymore. I know it sounds crazy, but the methane gas from a cow’s flatulence pollutes more per anum than an SUV. (They don’t call them limousines for nothing.)
As for the topic of this discussion; yes, I think she’s being hypocritical, but I think there are better ways at getting the message to her than sending PETA after her. Good grief. After that, she’ll want a burger and a milkshake.
The most eco-friendly things you can do today are to eat 1 vegetarian meal per week, and shop at second-hand stores for goods first. The most human-friendly thing you can do is speak and think for yourself, and be kind to other humans; they’re animals, too.
The words “vegetarian” and “therefore” really only need to go together in a sentence like this: “I am vegetarian, therefore I do not eat meat.”
I personally decided to be vegetarian because the meat that is used in all of our food products is just plain gross and the factories they are processed in are just plain gross. And I also believe I will have a healthier life by not eating meat.
But just because I am a vegetarian, does not mean “therefore” I am even a hint of animal rights activist. That’s like saying all rectangles are squares…
If someone says there are a vegetarian, they shouldn’t eat meat. If someone says they are an animal rights activist, they probably shouldn’t support the killing of animals. If someone is a whale rights activist, they care about the whales.
Pretty simple stuff here.
Plus, she is an actor. Her job is to look good. “Make Heroes look good? Sure it’s my job. Make a clutch look good? Sure it’s my job.” (Along with many other’s jobs that are on the line who are connected to her..)
I follow a vegetarian diet, lead a very eco-concious lifestyle but still wear leather. I have no moral issue with this nor do I feel like a “hypocrite” for it. There has to be a middle ground. Did she ever say she was a vegetarian beyond her dietary choices? And is the fact that she’s passionate about a species in peril make her less of a person? Come on people. I admire those that have the ability to segway past society and mass consumerism, make the daily tough choices of adhering to strict principles. However, don’t hold others to your own higher ground. We don’t need Veg*n police. Do you want her to stop everything, grab a steak, shove it down her throat???
She’s an actress… She acts!
nick great post.
And to “RL” (love those posts with only initials…sigh”
yes you’re right. if we released the cows of today into the wild they could probably not survive like their ancestors would. but on that note if we released humans into the wild they would not survive like their ancestors would either. does that mean we should make purses out of them? how would you like having your relatives made into purses? i didn’t think so.
The bag is made of unnecessarily cruel materials and is super-fugly. ‘Nuff said.
RL- meant to address that to Aaron. Sorry about that your post was great. He did use his actual name too
Ironically same as mine. Spelled differently.
Peace
erin
[...] Yesterday’s story on Hayden Panettiere joining up with bag designer Dooney & Bourke on a new line of Italian calfskin clutches brought out quite a few comments from the community. Actually, the conversation from both sides — those that are vegetarians, but still wear leather — to those that shop secondhand or have sworn it off completely, was enlightening. [...]
A lot of vegetarians still use leather and consume other animal products.
Vegans forgo them all together.
But i personally think that she is still being hypocritical cause she is somewhat of an animal activist.
Plus, leather production is NOT green nor eco-friendly, so if people are concerned about THAT and eco-conscious…they should be aware of the impact that all their choices have on the environment.
Erin, It’s not like some other animal has forced us to live in houses, shop in grocery stores, and inbreed for our meat and skin. I would argue, if humans were released in the wild, we would survive by… building houses, making clothes, and eating food. Same thing we’ve done for thousands of years. Cows, thanks to humans, don’t have the same ability to survive in the wild.
I also wasn’t advocating for the consumption of animals. I was pointing out that Hayden isn’t a hypocrite. (supporting an endangered species is a good thing–cows are not endangered) She just has values different from your own. But for you, as a vegan, I can see how that distinction might be irrelevant.
I’m so glad you read and responded to my email. I wrote you about a week or so ago about this. Regardless of the Save the Whales campaign- I find it really weird that she promotes leather and is a vegetarian. I just really have a hard time wrapping my head around this.
The question of whether we should use animals for consumption ( meat, leather, wool, etc…) boils down to whetther it is moral to cause suffering. If not, then any use of animals is wrong (who can deny that animal consumption creates suffering?). If animal suffering and the right to exist without suffering inflicted on animals(humans included) doesn’t matter then why would we not eat human flesh and make leather out of their skins?
or dogs/cats/horse/cute fluffy animals for that matter. And if you claim that it’s because we as humans are intelligent, what about the mentally disabled, or your grandparents with dementia? Do they not deserve the right to a suffering free existence?
All- Everyone is bringing up a lot of great points! You’re right, just because Hayden’s a vegetarian doesn’t mean she avoids garments made from animals. But it isn’t so much the non-avoidance of leather that bothers me as it is the designing something made of calfskin that will be mass-produced on a wide scale.
A part of me thinks this has a lot to do with her age. True, I’m not much older than she is, but when I was 18 I still bought leather. I guess I didn’t promote or design it, but I didn’t have the opportunity to either. I think that leading a more aware, compassionate lifestyle is a process and I’m optimistic that she will, if nothing else, make wiser decisions based on the information that PETA plans to supply her. I’m still a Hayden fan and I look forward to covering more of her remarkable work with whales. I can only hope that Hayden will act a little more thoughtfully next time.
Are you kidding? She’s a vegetarian, is doesn’t mean she can’t wear leather. It is vegans who choose to cut all animal products from their lives, and most of the ones I know half-ass it and wear leather shoes. A vegetarian may choose not to eat meat, but (like in my case) it may have nothing to do with the animal, and more to do with the environment and my body. Leave this poor girl alone. She doesn’t live her life for your approval. Just because she believes in one cause for whales it doesn’t mean she has to follow everything else PETA says is right or wrong.
Glad someone else noticed this dichotomy, too! I blogged about it Saturday: http://ipandaud.blogspot.com/2008/11/hayden-heroes-star-turned-handbag.html
Hayden is a vegetarian and animal rights activist, so this is especially disappointing. A major blow to vegan fashionistas everywhere!
Hahahaha so what?
oh and PETA can go to hell
that is all
IMHO, Hayden doesn’t promote saving cows. She promotes saving whales. I think it is normal to eat beef, but, is it normal to eat whales? And besides, if the cow is already dead and she decides to use the skin of the already-dead-cow, then there’s no problem with that.
Riiiiight…. and no problem with using the skin of a already-dead-baby-human either? The other problem is that these CALVES aren’t already dead. They are slaughtered for their skin.
parrish - I don’t think it has anything to do with her age. I became a vegetarian when I was 15 and have been an animal rights activist since (I’m 19 now - just one month older than Hayden). I think she just hasn’t thought it through like most meat-eaters today. I’d like to think she doesn’t know what these animals are going through and hasn’t put the purse and animal together. Not necessarily age, but ignorance.
I have a lot of respect for Hayden because of what she’s doing with the Whaleman Foundation (swimming out to help the dolphins in Taiji and making the slaughter known) and becoming a vegetarian. I don’t see why others here are saying she must not care about cows because she did become a vegetarian a few months ago and that mainly consists of cows, pigs, chickens, and fish - I highly doubt she ate whale flesh before.
I hope the debates around the web about this issue get to her and make her realize what she’s supporting. Dropping Dooney & Bourke because they sell leather would make big news which would be fantastic!
The thing is she has called herself an Animal Rights Actvist, thats the hypocritical thing about it. I HIGHLY doubt she can say that each and every baby calf that was killed for the purpose of a stupid material possession lived a cruelty free life. As in, not in a small, cramped, smelly place. As in, the calf actually has walked on grass and been in the great outdoors. I respect her work, but she has said that she doesn’t eat meat because of her love for animals, and then to promote a leather bag where the calves were probably mistreated, that is hypocritical. I know vegetarians who do it for the health purposes, and I respect that, but, from the articles I have read about her, that has never been the reason why.
I’m not going to say that eating meat is wrong, because, well that is life. Just like its life when a tiger eats a human, or a crocodile makes a snack of a person. Food chain comming back up to bite us. What is wrong is the fact that humans TORTURE their prey. With Tigers and Crocodiles, their prey lives a free and relatively good life, ours, are hung to death, bleed to death, beaten to death, starved to death, never see the sun, never leave their cage, hung by their feet live, crammed in tiny cages with ten other animals, and many, many worse things. I dare one person to say to me that there is nothing wrong with that? To torture a living creature that feels everything we do.
‘ Animals are here on Earth for our consumption’ Animals have many purposes. Dogs, cats, and many, many other animals have done Countless things that benefited our lives and even saved our lives on many occasions. Life without them would be meaningless for me, as I would risk my own life for an animal. Look up some stuff. Real men and women research before they type.
And on a final note, as someone mentioned before, the idea of baby skin products intrigues me. I may have to market that.
I forgot to add that ‘ Animals are here on Earth for our consumption’ is quoted from another poster.
And I didn’t mention that when tigers and crocodiles kill their prey, its quick and relatively painless.
According to Jacque:
1.”the calves were probably mistreated”
2. “I HIGHLY doubt she can say that each and every baby calf…lived a cruelty free life”
3. “REAL MEN AND WOMEN RESEARCH BEFORE THEY TYPE”
Jacque, follow your own advice.
1. “I’m not going to say that eating meat is wrong, because, well that is life.”
2. “What is wrong, is the fact that humans TORTURE their prey”
3. “when tigers and crocodiles kill their prey, its quick and relatively painless.” (Really?)
Torture, death, quick or not, that’s life. I think the real issue, as jim stated, is “whetther it is moral to cause suffering.” Do crocodiles and tigers ponder the morality of the suffering they cause? NO, because they are very, VERY hungry–starving in fact. Is there a difference between humans, tigers and crocodiles? YES. Many humans (especially those lucky enough to CHOOSE vegetarianism VS meat)aren’t starving. Oh, and humans are BRILLIANT(comparatively).
So here’s my point…
Every animal on this planet tortures and kills; directly or indirectly. As the most brilliant species on the planet,(except whales, Star Trek IV) it’s far more important to worry about the continued existence of life, death, and torture then it is to worry about the subjective morality enabled by our species gluttonous success. You want to attack Ms. Panettiere for slapping her name on a high end calf-skin bag that very few people will ever purchase? Maybe we should worry about the fact that leather bags are being sold across the world in big box stores at a fraction of their environmental cost. At least she’s spent some time trying to save some whales.
Jacque, ever seen the aftermath of wolves having gotten into a sheep pen? I have. The two wolves had killed or seriously maimed every single animal in there. Not for food, but for fun. That is true torture - unlike raising animals for human consumption in a carefully controlled and strictly legislated environment.
@fbr - Animals raised humanely and allowed to die naturally are a different issue than “strict legislation” and “carefully controlled” environments. Go to a battery farm or an intensive farm (factory farm) and then tell me that we don’t torture animals.
I’m glad to see the issue being discussed intelligently from several angles. It’s only realistic to consider that there may be a variety of reasons for her actions, or that in this instance she simply was shortsighted and made a mistake…
and…
She’s only 19
We all make mistakes. Let’s give her a chance to learn from hers. And if it turns out she cares more about sea mammals than the ones on land, so be it.
[...] gotta say, after that whole Dooney & Bourke travesty earlier this winter I’m a little timid to use the words “Hayden” and “Fashion” in the [...]
She IS a hypocrite. So what i’m only 15 and have been a vegetarian for 4 years now. When you consider yourself an animal lover and go dancing around trying to show off your “love” for animals in Japan and then show the whole world that you really care, STICK WITH IT!!!!! Be an animal lover requires commitment and just coz she wants to be fashionable is no exception! Even i would love to design handbags and fancy dresses….but i don’t because- face it when you join the fashion industry, you’re going to be involved in animal slaughtering- it’s hard to avoid…..And she’s 19- if i am 15 and have a BRAIN to realise that leather is made of cow hides i am sure she can too!
I don’t wear leather belts, shoes( i quit last year), or handbags(i hate fashion). Don’t you see that she’s doing it to grab attention and more fans???
I’ve saved abandoned animals but i don’t go telling everyone about it just to make people like me!
So one word to you miss “iloveanimals just to show off and for the publicity”—–HYPOCRITE