Vogue magazine is facing a backlash over a recent photo shoot featuring Russian model Irina Shayk alongside a cropped-eared Doberman. PETA animal welfare activists are now demanding an apology from the magazine, accusing it of promoting dog mutilation.
PETA opposes the practice of “cropping” – a procedure that causes a dog’s ears to grow upwards. The group noted that the practice is banned in the UK. However, although the photographs appeared in the British edition of Vogue, the photo shoot itself was made in New York, where no such law exists.
Nonetheless, a PETA spokesperson told the Mail that “It is totally out of order to encourage people to acquire dogs that have been subjected to painful mutilation of their sensitive ears, which is illegal in the UK unless medically necessary.”
The organization asked Vogue “Resolve this misstep by apologizing for the mistake and letting readers know that dogs ‘talk’ with their ears, and cutting parts off them is not only traumatic, but also robs them of a vital means of expression, communication and balance.”
Thesperson also suggested that Vogue’s latest photoshoot sends a message that animals are “Mere props, rather than living beings, feeling to be respected.”
British Vogue responded by thanking PETA for “raise this issue” and for “the work they do to protect animals around the world” but explained that the photo shoot took place in New York, where the practice is legal.
The magazine has already faced pushbacks on its covers. As recently as January, Vogue came under fire for a fashion shoot that featured Florence Pugh posing with a dead fish. Animal rights groups blasted the magazine for its insensitivity towards sentient beings. “Animals are not objects to be used as accessories”, claimed Direct Action Everywhere, stating that “Fish are sentient beings who feel pain and suffer like us.”
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