One of the trickiest parts of the Katara costume is going to be the furs. Coat, boots and all, it'll require about thirty feet of fur trim, varying from one to six inches in width.
The first thing I had to decide was real or fake? Though this isn't the first time I've considered using real animal parts, before this little escapade I had no idea where I stood on the fur farming thing. So I did some research. While I found a lot of disturbing and graphic videos on Youtube from animal rights activists (like PETA, which I'm not going to link to due to its bloody content), it took some digging to find anything from the other side. What I found there was a community that seemed very kind, respectable, and proud of their work. While neither party is all innocence, PETAesque campaigning gets very ugly in its tactics. Not exactly incentive to go vegan, is it?
After web research (this article was especially helpful), talking to a lot of people, and reading some scripture, this is the conclusion I've come to. Remember this is based on the fundamental belief that God created man as a being distinct from and over the animals.
- Animals are not people. Killing one is not like killing a human. This is backed by scripture.
- As humans, we have a responsibility to treat animals kindly
- Regardless, animals can and should be used to benefit humans
So yes, I'll be using fur in my costume, along with a considerable amount of leather and other organic materials.
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