Figure skater Johnny Weir extols the virtues of his fur-filled closet in Bluefly.com video

We're always flummoxed when we hear a fur-wearer unapologetically sing the praises of wearing animal pelts as fashion statements.

We couldn't exactly say we were surprised, though, when figure skater Johnny Weir, who has infuriated animal lovers in the past with his furry skating costumes, did just that in a new "Closet Confessions" video for the clothing site Bluefly.com.

In the video, Weir describes his fur- and python-filled closet as "a constant swirl of happiness and movement" and doesn't bat an eye as he describes with glee his "fur tree" filled with lynx, fox and other animal pelts. (We have to admit, though, that the man knows how to pick a nice-looking bag.)

Weir said during an earlier controversy about his fur-wearing that "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."

We'd love to hear what philanthropic work the skating star is doing on behalf of New York's homeless population and the residents of Haiti -- no, really, we would. We're sure we're not alone among animal-lovers in our tendency to be irked when people who aren't terribly troubled by animal abuse throw out a red-herring argument that suggests one must choose between caring about people or caring about animals. Can't it be both?

Perhaps Weir would be interested in donating some of those nice, warm fur coats to the homeless this winter? Failing that, we're sure he could benefit from a consultation with animal-friendly fashion expert Tim Gunn, who earned our undying love last year when he told our colleague Patt Morrison, "There's no reason to kill animals for fur. Wearing fur is like wearing a big sign reading, 'I'm in favor of inflicting cruelty and pain on animals as a fashion statement.' "

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-- Lindsay Barnett

Video: Bluefly.com

Comments

[M]

Eh. Weir does do a lot of charity for AIDS and HIV causes, so he's not a total wash yet. I don't agree with him that it's all happy and okay to slaughter animals for fur just because there's still human suffering in the world, but as long as he is doing charity work, I'm not going to chase after him with a pitchfork either.

[Never Comment But...]

If your major contribution to the prevention of animal cruelty is simply NOT buying fur and judging people who wear it, well. Can i say I'm just not that impressed with you judging someone for their charitable contributions? And if that irks you maybe you should reconsider your own estimation of someone you don't know very well.

As a matter of fact he's skated in several charity shows. As recently as this year, in fact. It's not well known because ice skating isn't a huge draw in this country but them's the facts. He also participated in marriage equality fundraiser.

Does that make him a good person? Who is to say. But I'd wager that wearing fur doesn't give us any better indication that he's a bad person.

[Furman]

Cry me a freaking river.

[L.A. Voter]

Due respect to L.A. Unleashed, of which I am a devoted reader, but why are you wasting even virtual space on this worthless, mindless, heartless piece of garbage?

[rickn6900]

Nice informed unbiased piece Lindsay.

[Amy]

"extols the virtues of his fur-filled closet"??? How you got that line out of this video is beyond me. So he likes fur. Surely you're not saying that we should measure his character based on that? Personally, I support his message of individuality and acceptance. And finding out about his charities is really quite easy: one phone call to his agent would have taken care of that. FYI, his main causes are HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention and breast cancer research, but he also works to create opportunities for children to do sports and exercise. Before you judge, check out the full package.

[Paula]

Am I to assume everyone who is offended by Johnny Weir wearing fur is a vegetarian who never wears leather or uses anything else created from animals? Maybe you should run into the forest and stop the violence that goes on there that is part of the circle of life. The truth is that all of life depends on that circle. You may say that animals killed for fur are not used by man for anything else, but in the wild they would be just as dead from a natural predator who would not be giving any thought at all to the humane death of their prey. In previous times the survival of mankind often depended on the skins of animals to provide warmth. The reason fur is so offensive in this country is that it has not been in fashion or that affordable in the past few decades. Fabrics that are easier to care for and less expensive have dominated and electricity in homes and heaters in vehicles have made it less necessary to dress warmly. Because of this, fur is more noticeable now when it is worn. I am not in favor of cruelty to animals and have several furry friends, but I would wear fur just as readily as I wear leather if I wanted to do so. I attended the Skate for Hope in Columbus, OH where Johnny honored his commitment to skate the day after losing his grandfather. The proceeds went to breast cancer research and awareness. He was fabulous.

[Janice LindenReed]

I showed this video and article to my 7 year old daughter who is a Johnny Weir figure skating fan. Her response was, "My family does not buy fur or leather coats but Johnny Weir does have a good sense of fashion in other ways. If Johnny Weir cares about poor people, why can't he also care about animals?"

[PumaJ]

Well, I suppose we could all become vegans, stop wearing shoes made out of leather, never buy another leather handbag, or sofa... Hm, did I miss anything?

Certainly, I did not miss your snarkiness about Weir. Nor did I miss your apparent ignorance about the charity work he has been involved in.

Personally, I don't care if he wears fur. That is between him, his conscience, God and perhaps his Karma (IDN). Now don't get me wrong, here. I wouldn't buy anything new with fur on it. Doing so, IMHO, only perpetuates the poor treatment of the animals. However, I might by an old fur and I've inherited my grandmother's and mother's old mink stole and coat. I wear them every now and then.

[Popeye The Sailor Man]

WE & WE'RE? I know this is a blog & all, but Jimminy Crickets, give me a break Lindsay, where did you go to Journalism School? Let me guess it was a correspondence course right? This piece is so biased, slanted and lacks any kind of journalistic integrity, it's no wonder you have a job at the infamous, going into brakruptcy L.A.Times. What a waste of cyber-space this is...When I lived in New England, there are tons of people who wear animal fur to keep them warm AND ALIVE!! Someone has been drinking the Kool-Aid at the L.A.Times Cafeteria. I stopped caring about Animal Rights Activists like you Lindsay when I read an interview with the founder of PETA...She said " I would be against the cure for AIDS & Cancer if the testing of any life saving drug meant the life of ONE animal..." How sad that these "Progressives" care more about a varmint, than the homeless guy on their little corner of 2nd & Spring street

[L.A. Voter]

Okay, it is absolutely bizarre that anyone who comes to read this blog is actually going to DEFEND Johnny Weir.

Who CARES if he skates in charity shows? Performers perform -- big whoop. If you told me he'd donated thousands of his own money to a charity then you might have a point, albeit a small one. But flinging kudos at an attention-obsessed narcissist for jumping into one more spotlight, simultaneously getting (yet more) attention and spurious "credit" for his "charitable contribution" is completely laughable.

And frankly, even if he did donate money to worthy causes that wouldn't in any way change or diminish the fact that he is extolling and elevating vicious cruelty to animals. Pretending you don't know how the pretty fur got from a live animal into your closet is no longer tenable, what with the internet and all -- a fact even Weir himself gets, with this pathetic quote, "I totally get the dirtiness of the fur industry and how terrible it is to animals." But he's still happy to wear the murdered skin of animals because -- hey, it's PRETTY and gosh! people are suffering, so who cares if he kills an animal or thirty for his vanity? It's pretty obvious that Weir is not very bright and completely logic-impaired, but that doesn't excuse him from the human race. And coming to an animal-themed blog and defending this worthless loser (and attacking a humane issues blogger for "bias") is equally logic-impaired. It's not like there's anything this sad little exhibitionist could achieve or "perform" that could excuse his blithe dismissal of the pain and torture involved in ripping fur from a helpless animal. It's morally absurd even to suggest such a thing.

And reading the subtext of the comments, this isn't about Weir's being gay, which hardly excuses him from the moral universe. People who care about animals not being skinned, alive or dead (and who cares, so long as you skate for charity, right) have long denounced public figures who wear fur, including Naomi Campbell, Jennifer Lopez, Beyonce Knowles and Catherine Zeta Jones -- all flamboyant heterosexuals. This isn't about going after someone who is oppressed, this is about someone who makes yet another play for fame by revelling in his cruelty to animals. He doesn't get a moral pass because he's gay -- that's what equality is about.

Also good to know that Bluefly sells fur. For those of us who would never buy fur sometimes it wouldn't even occur to us to check. Who searches "fur" if you wouldn't ever wear it? Hence you might inadvertently buy from a site that supports cruelty. So, two good lessons here: A: Always check and see if the site you're buying from sells fur and, B. boycott Bluefly.

[Sick of Weir]

"Weir describes his fur- and python-filled closet as 'a constant swirl of happiness and movement' ". Hmmmmm fur/skins that were chopped off of living, breathing, pain feeling creatures. Yea, that says "happiness" to me.

Talk about losing your grip of reality.

There really is no excuse to wear real fur. There are very good "fake furs" now that would not also cause excruciating deaths to thousands of creatures.

[L.A. Voter]

It's also worth noting that a couple of commenters wrote some variation of this quote: "Well, I suppose we could all become vegans, stop wearing shoes made out of leather, never buy another leather handbag, or sofa..."

And? You think giving up leather or meat would kill you? It's absolutely incredible that any living adult is not able to recognize that buying leather, meat or fur is a CHOICE. You are not in any way compelled to buy leather, just as you are not compelled by appetite to eat meat. You make that choice at every single meal, during every single shopping excursion. You CHOOSE, like it or not, to be cruel, every day of your life. To imply that it's unthinkable or in any way impossible to live without fur, leather or meat just makes you look dim-witted.

And for everyone here who implies, illogically, that caring about animals in some way precludes caring about people, please feel free to include YOUR no-doubt lengthy list of charitable donations, including to "the homeless guy on their little corner of 2nd & Spring street."

I thought so...

[sandra m]

How fashionable is fur these days? Usually found on old ladies and pimps. Johnny Weir is in good company.

[unfair]

I'm no fan of fur, but really, the media goes out of its way to paint Johnny Weir as some sort of heartless diva. His fans know (and I'm learning) that Weir is kind, extremely generous with his time, and does do charity work. (He works on anti-obesity campaigns and for AIDS charities and has skated for the children of Harlem and for breast cancer research. He also provides financial support to his family. But this is not generally publicized as much as his tendency to buy used furs in Russia.)

To vilify this kid for one thing and completely ignore his goodness, his articulateness, his willingness to stand up for people who are painted into a corner like him, is unfair. He's not wealthy-- he's not in the NBA. Should he be donating what money he does have to charity instead of spending it? Perhaps. But he's 25. Is it fair to make him out to be Cruella DeVille when he's still forming as an adult?

[Jana Colgin]

This is ridiculous. Johnny can wear whatever he likes, and the man likes fur. You can only control your own decisions in life, not everyone else's. So if you're against wearing fur, don't wear it. But stop whining about it. Johnny put it nicely in this video, "I'm a big fan of fur, and I'm sorry if you're not." As it should be.

And his charity work is rather extensive, so perhaps you shouldn't judge. We can't all support every cause, so at least leave it up to the individual which causes they choose to support. I'm sure his agent, Tara Modlin, would have been happy to tell you about his charity work if you'd bothered to do a little research.

Let it go.

[Gail]

What gets me is the criticism by one of the comments of his charity work. Most charities are more happy with a celebrity giving time than money anyway. It not only helps them to raise more money, it also helps them to raise awareness, which they need as much as they do money. This season Johnny Weir has done charitable event after charitable event, plus championed others and serving on the board of yet another. He has done EqCal, AIDS 88, AIDS LifeCycle, nPlay, and several other shows for charity, and one more that has had to be postponed.

Johnny is a special, talented, intelligent, unique and caring person. I think it's sad to see this writer beating this topic to death yet again, and to see such mean spirited comments made about someone who is as giving and caring as Johnny Weir is!

[FYI]

In the past three months, Johnny Weir has quietly raised almost $40,000 for various charities, by giving his time, skating, and/or sponsorship to three fundraising projects. I don't have figures for the fourth fundraising project, which I'm guessing, when included, puts Johnny well over the $50,000 mark for three months.

[earforfilm]

Some of the comments on here are so nasty. I love animals too, but come on! I love Johnny Weir's skating--he is an incredible artist; I also appreciate the charity work he does, which is devoting time and energy to benefit shows and appearances for which he does not get paid, or is paid expenses only when he could be doing paid shows. From what I understand he is also helping support his parents as well, as his father has been disabled. I've met him a few times and he seems to me to be a caring, thoughtful and very intelligent person, well read and versed in a number of languages and world cultures. He likes fur. That's his business. You don't like fur or the fur trade, feel free to NOT wear it. Condemning someone for fashion preferences that are so far perfectly legal, when there are so many other BIG issues in the world is just wrong. I think the violent attitude of so called animal lovers towards fur wearing humans is something to really worry about.

[L.A. Voter]

Gosh, I've seen the light. I'm going to donate thousands of dollars, out of the hundreds of thousands I have, to various high-profile charities.

I have a small problem with beating children, and I do like to tie dogs to my car bumper and drag them to death. But in light of my hefty charitable donations I expect you all to support my freedom to express myself and get all protective of me and call people "mean-spirited" when they point out that the way I enjoy myself involves cruelty and killing -- since having read these comments I've learned that if you donate money you get a free pass to hurt any living creature you want.