Was "The Body" Threatened?



(image via peoples.ru)

Wherever one falls on the pressing geopolitical question of whither-fur-in-Fashion (Averted Gaze), perhaps we can all unite against threats to do criminal acts against fur spokespeople who, philosophically, see nothing wrong with posing. Sometimes, in the quiet of our soul, The Corsair wishes PETA would fight for Third World Debt relief, or, say, to deter the onslaught of Moldovan sex slavery with as much -- how does one say it? -- unmitigated zeal as they exhibit in their seemingluy-eternal fight for the rights of mink.

But ... we digress. This report, from ThisisLondon by Clemmie Moodie, comes dangerously close to sounding like a criminal threat against "The Body" Elle Macpherson:

"Elle Macpherson has backed out of a �1million contract with a fur company after becoming terrified she will be targeted by anti-fur extremists.

"The 42-year-old supermodel, who signed a seven-figure deal earlier this year to become the face of the luxury fur company Blackglama, has asked lawyers to pull the plug on the campaign.
Her decision comes in the wake of a frenzied anti-fur crusade largely headed by the vociferous group, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

"She recently received a threatening letter from PETA's vice-president, Dan Matthews, warning her not to go ahead with the Blackglama campaign.

"He wrote: 'By making yourself the new face of fur for Blackglama you are also making yourself a top target for PETA and animal activists around the world.

"'When you take money from such a violent industry you also must carry their baggage.'"

Yo:,Just what the fuck does that mean? "Top target"? "You also must carry their baggage"? She's a single mother with a kid, asswipe; there's a thin line between Constitutionally acceptable obnoxiousness and making a threat -- and PETA's Dan Matthews, IMHO, has crossed it.

Clemmie Moodie continues:

"Yesterday a source close to the supermodel said: 'Elle has never seen anything ethically wrong in wearing fur and was very keen to get involved with the campaign.

"'But in the wake of recent developments against the fur industry from militant protesters and animal rights activists, Elle felt that no amount of money was worth jeopardising the safety of herself or her family and she would rather the ads were pulled.

" ... 'As far as (Blackglama) are concerned, a sevenfigure sum deal has been signed and Elle is tied to it. Both sets of lawyers are currently in talks trying to thrash out a last-minute deal and reach some kind of compromise.'"

The full, sordid tale here.

PETA's Dan Matthews gets "the gassface" (And -- sigh -- we are already waiting for those scorching emails of You're-Just-Doing-This-Because-She's-Hott, or, Why-Can't-You-Just-Be-Funny --sigh)