The Body Shop, like LUSH, markets itself as a compassionate company while simultaneously profiting from the institutionalized exploitation and killing of Nonhuman Animals. Declaring to customers that non-vegan animal-based products “don’t harm the animals” is false advertising of the worst kind. As is the case with most capitalist enterprises that profit from the oppressed, The Body Shop banks on customers never questioning or thinking critically about their ethical claimsmaking. This false consciousness is buttressed by “cruelty-free” labeling and endorsement from large “animal rights” non-profits such as PETA. These charities have effectively socialized many customers that is okay to use, harm, and kill other animals as long as it is done “nicely.”
Continue readingMy Dog is Just a Dog: On Breedism and Ideations of Purity
In 2020, I adopted a little white dog who had been rescued from the streets in Bulgaria, a county where stray dogs are still commonplace and "management" solutions tend to be lethal. I know IContinue reading
Alternative Medicine, Vivisection, and Scientific Racism
As I have grown more interested in alternative healing over the years, I have dutifully hit the scientific journals to verify if particular products are actually evidenced to work. This is necessary given that theContinue reading
The EU Ban on Cosmetic Testing and the Problem with Single-Issue Campaigns
The European Union has banned the import and sale of cosmetics containing ingredients tested on animals. Good news? Well, sort of. I am curious as to why the cosmetics--often made from the bodies, products, andContinue reading