Friday, January 29, 2010

Weir-do


Figure skater Johnny Weir is a strange bird. No. Wait. Let's be honest. He's a walking, talking freak show of a human being. The latest strange story involving Weir centers on a small piece of white fox fur that he had his "designer" attach to his costume at the recent U.S. Figure Skating Championships. That's the "garment" shown above. Well, the costume caused the fur to fly as animal rights groups took Weir to task. Friends of Animals wrote an open letter to Weir and contacted his designer, Stephanie Handler. Initially, Weir wasn't fazed a bit, saying, "I totally get the dirtiness of the fur industry and how terrible it is to animals. But it's not something that's the No. 1 priority in my life. There are humans dying every day. There are thousands, if not millions, of homeless people in New York City. Look at what just happened in Haiti. I tend to focus my energy, if there is a cause, on humans. While that may be callous and bad of me, it's my choice." Flash forward a couple of days, and Weir decided to change his choice, announcing that his costume will henceforth be decorated with fake fur. Weir's agent says the decision was made because the skater feared that animal-rights groups might try to disrupt his performances in the upcoming Winter Olympics. Weir made it clear that it was all about him and the "dream I have had since I was a kid." He added, "I hope these activists can understand that my decision to change my costume is in no way a victory for them. I am not changing in order to appease them, but to protect my integrity and the integrity of the Olympic Games." Weir also has pointed out that all his fellow competitors are wearing skates made of cowhide. Perhaps he doesn't understand this, but there's a difference between utilitarian items such as skates and a piece of frivolous fringe on his outfit. I think these animal-rights groups go way overboard with some of their criticisms. I'm not going to give up steak dinners and ham sandwiches because an outfit like PETA doesn't like my lifestyle. But I believe they have a point when it comes to fur. Do a whole bunch of animals really need to die, and be killed in a horrific fashion, just so some rich lady can sport a floor-length mink coat? Do rabbits need to be killed so somebody can have a fancy fringe around the hood of their winter coat? And does Johnny Weir really need that stupid-looking tuft of fur on the shoulder of his goofy-looking costume? If Johnny doesn't have a problem with taking advantage of a smaller animal to make his outfit look more fabulous, I understand. But then I'm sure he wouldn't mind if I scalp him and dangle his pelt from my key ring. Hey, heterosexual guys can accessorize, too.

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5 Comments:

Blogger Cheryl Chamberlain said...

honestly.. who gives a flying fart about his costume. even if he were to have killed the rabbit himself in a humane way, ate the meat in a delicious Hasenpfeffer receipe, and the fur was left over garbage so he decided to doll up his outfit with it, PETA and animal right fanatics would have a problem with it.

i belong to the oher PETA = People Eating Tasty Animals :)

January 29, 2010 at 3:09 PM  
Blogger PRIguy said...

Does he actually think that there really are MILLIONS of homeless in New York City?

I don't care about PETA and other animal rights activists. I think fur looks stupid on people whether it's that fruity looking thing on Weir's shoulder or a full-length coat on a socialite. I think that animals were put here on earth for me to use as I see fit...eat them, wear them, whatever. I just thank the Lord that I was born into the top of the food chain...

By the way, this fellow does nothing to debunk the image of the gay male figure skater. Oy!

January 29, 2010 at 3:25 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Dead foxes happen. But no one has a problem with people being paid because they can skate pretty?

January 29, 2010 at 10:08 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Sorry, although I know skating takes strength, agility, endurance and creativity, every time I see male figure skaters, I can't help but remember Harry Shearer and Martin Short in the "Male Synchronized Swimming" bit from Saturday Night Live.

January 30, 2010 at 10:05 AM  
Blogger Brant said...

To the last anonymous poster, "I'm not that strong a swimmer" is one of the great lines in the history of comedy. To the previous one, I watch figure skating infrequently, but when I do, it's with the fervent hope that somebody falls spectacularly on their backside, hopefully repeatedly. It's like watching NASCAR for the wrecks. That ice dancing, which has next to zero chance for a great crash, is the sports equivalent of watching corn grow.

January 30, 2010 at 6:01 PM  

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