Fur blur

I love fur. I love the way it looks, I love the way it feels; I think it's incredibly glamorous and sophisticated and gorgeous. I love it. Yet, I don't have a fur coat. Other than the obvious reason of cost (sorry, I don't have an extra $5K lying around), I'm conflicted. The gruesomeness of the fur trade, the mink farms, and the uncertainty that what you're buying is actually what you paid for are all huge deterrents from making that purchase. I'm automatically against anything PETA (which is a terrorist organization if I ever saw one) is for, and vice versa. But I can't deny the shadiness of the fur industry. Today, as I was crossing the street to grab some lunch, I saw a woman in a beautiful mink coat crossing toward my side. I was so busy admiring it, that when she spoke, I was startled. She smiled and complimented my hood (I was wearing a brown cord puffy vest with a hood that has a white faux fur trim - people seem to love it for some reason) and I managed to choke out, "I LOVE your coat." As I walked back to my office, I thought about something I'd read during my research into fur. Faux fur is NOT sustainable and is made from petroleum (like acrylic clothing), yet people think it's better than the real thing. I'm not sure which is better. I got into a discussion with my linesister about fur, and she was vehemently against it... Yet, she wears Uggs, which are lined in sheepskin (which I also love). It's a conundrum, and maybe one day I'll figure it out. I'm leaning toward that mink, though... ____ Listening to: Sam Cooke, Live at the Harlem Square Club - possibly my favorite performance of Cooke's.