Tell PETA to Keep Sexism Out of Campaigns!

We believe that animal liberation and women's empowerment are movements that are inherently linked- one cannot promote the freedom of one species while promoting the objectification of the other. Whereas animals have historically been commodified and subject to maltreatment and neglect, women have also faced extremely similar, if not identical, forms of subjugation.

PETA has done a lot as far as animal rights, but the misogyny in some of their campaigns has set us back as far as women's rights, specifically in body positivity. For example, the pro-vegetarian billboard posted in Jacksonville, Florida in the summer of 2009 read, "Save the whales. Lose the blubber: Go vegetarian." and depicted an overweight woman in a bikini. This promotes the idea that overweight individuals, women in particular, are unnatural and unattractive.    

Although the billboard has since been taken down, the message still remains. This is not the only example of body-shaming and objectification in PETA campaigns. It is seen countless times in street-level campaigns, where volunteers picket either nude, being only covered by their protest signs, or in extremely revealing outfits, regardless of the weather. Not too surprisingly, the pictures taken of these protests and circulated by PETA are almost always of thin, young, white female volunteers. These sexually objectifying images are also present in the "I'd Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur" campaign, in which mostly female volunteers are photographed nude in sexually suggestive poses.    

Dear PETA,

The creators of this petition have been long time animal rights activists and supporters of many of PETA's views. However, taking a "Violence Against Women" class at our university has opened our eyes to the sexism present in many PETA campaigns.


We believe that animal liberation and women's empowerment are movements that are inherently linked- one cannot promote the freedom of one species while promoting the objectification of the other. Whereas animals have historically been commodified and subject to maltreatment and neglect, women have also faced extremely similar, if not identical, forms of subjugation.

PETA has done a lot as far as animal rights, but the misogyny in some of their campaigns has set us back as far as women's rights, specifically in body positivity. For example, the pro-vegetarian billboard posted in Jacksonville, Florida in the summer of 2009 read, "Save the whales. Lose the blubber: Go vegetarian." and depicted an overweight woman in a bikini. This promotes the idea that overweight individuals, women in particular, are unnatural and unattractive.    

Although the billboard has since been taken down, the message still remains. This is not the only example of body-shaming and objectification in PETA campaigns. It is seen countless times in street-level campaigns, where volunteers picket either nude, being only covered by their protest signs, or in extremely revealing outfits, regardless of the weather. Not too surprisingly, the pictures taken of these protests and circulated by PETA are almost always of thin, young, white female volunteers. These sexually objectifying images are also present in the "I'd Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur" campaign, in which mostly female volunteers are photographed nude in sexually suggestive poses.    

One cannot objectify one oppressed group and expect to achieve liberation for another. The undersigned hereby urge PETA to take a different approach towards animal rights activism that does not oppress women.

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