Actress Alicia Silverstone has had a long and successful career, going from a ‘90s teen sweetheart to an established star of stage and screen. On top of her ongoing life as an actress, she also uses her platform as an advocate for animal and environmental rights. This often pairs her with PETA, and Silverstone recently went nude for that organization in a campaign against animal leather. And there’s even video content explaining why.
Alicia Silverstone is a noted vegan, which includes both her food choices as well as other materials like clothing. That’s what inspired her to bare it all at the age of 46, in order to bring attention to the effect the leather industry has on both the environment and to the animals themselves. You can check out the campaign below, courtesy of PETA’s official Instagram account. And yes, I’m totally buggin.
There you have it. Alicia Silverstone wants to bring attention to PETA’s campaign against the use of leather, and that’s certainly one way to turn heads. The cheeky image sees the Clueless icon void of anything clothing, except for some boots that were made from cactus leather. She’s surrounded by that spiky vegetation, while the caption says “Don’t be a prick.” Clearly there was a very specific vision and message in mind for this nude shoot, and it’s definitely a striking image.
In addition to posting nude for this photo shoot, Alicia Silverstone also shot a video on PETA’s official YouTube account. In it she explains why she decided to go nude for the first time in her entire career in order to get more eyes on the campaign. As she put it,
I never ever get naked in TV, in film. Nothing, never, nope. But I’ve done it for PETA because that’s how much it matters to me. There’s this idea that leather is somehow better for the Earth, but what they don’t realize is the amount of resources: water, food, oil for transport. The amount of energy that goes into leather is extraordinary, it’s not just sustainable. The Earth can’t handle it.
There you have it. On top of concerns about the animals involved in the leather industry, Alicia Silverstone is also concerned about how many other non-sustainable resources are used in order to make it a sustainable business. And given the stakes involved, she was convinced to bare it all for the world to see. You can check out the video itself below:
PETA is definitely an organization with a ton of influence, so Alicia Silverstone probably paired with the right group in order to bring light to the harm of leather, and some of the alternatives that are currently available. Later in that same clip, Silverstone hammered down the importance of taking care of the environment, saying:
I really like the merge of being conscious of no animal skins, but also being conscious of the Earth. Because we all have to live in it, the animals and us. And without it we’re screwed.
Smart money says this campaign does what it intended to, and ends up being circulated widely thanks to Alicia Silverstone’s vulnerability. We’ll just have to see how many people seek out leather alternatives upon learning more about this cause.
Professionally, Alicia Silverstone has four different film projects coming up, and recently appeared in American Horror Stories. In the meantime, check out the 2023 movie release dates to plan your trips to the theater in the New Year.
