The Hollywood star Alicia Silverstone of Clueless and Batman & Robin fame has shocked everyone by posing naked for the first time in her decades-long career, doing so to promote vegan clothing.
https://twitter.com/juresmccann/status/1603118964153909250
Silverstone’s PETA Billboard
Daily Mail reported that Silverstone, 46, posed nude for a 29-foot PETA billboard that was unveiled on Tuesday morning in Times Square in New York City. Located at the intersection of 40th Street and Eighth Avenue, the billboard reads, “DON’T BE A PRICK. Wear Vegan. Buy cactus, mushroom or apple leather instead!”
https://twitter.com/peta/status/1605214715772297216
“Everyone can choose innovative vegan leathers made from the prickly pear cactus, mushrooms, or apples instead of supporting industries that kill animals for their skin,” PETA said in a statement.
This billboard was particularly surprising, given the fact that Silverstone has never stripped down for a film or television project.
“I never, ever get naked in TV, in film, nothing, but I’ve done it for PETA ’cause that’s how much it matters to me,” she said after the billboard was unveiled. “The amount of resources, water, food, oil for transport, the amount of energy that goes into making leather is extraordinary. It’s just not sustainable. The Earth can’t handle it.”
PETA claims that cow leather is doing major damage to the environment. ,
“Up to 80% of deforestation in the Amazon rainforest has been caused by the destruction of land in order to raise animals, and 130 different chemicals, including cyanide, are used to turn their skin into leather,” PETA said.
Alicia Silverstone. pic.twitter.com/e7AAnGJ8jM
— Masquerade (@Masquerade2376) December 17, 2022
Related: Too Old? Alicia Silverstone Still Sleeps With Her 11 Year-Old Son
Silverstone Sounds Off
People Magazine reported that in a behind-the-scenes video of her photo shoot, Silverstone can be seen saying what her “dream” is when it comes to this effort.
“My dream is to get these vegan, earth-friendly materials into the hands of famous designers,” she said. “I’d rather go naked than wear animals.”
Don’t be a prick, wear vegan! 🌵 #Hollywood icon @AliciaSilv is stripping away the leather industry’s greenwashing & urging folks to choose sustainable & ethical leather made from plants 💚 https://t.co/0nhonY9Fev pic.twitter.com/nBKM5eX4Kb
— PETA (@peta) December 20, 2022
Silverstone previously said that she became active with PETA after veganism “revolutionized [her] world.”
“I watched the documentary The Witness and took a look at my dog Sampson and thought, ‘If I’m not willing to eat you, how can I continue to eat these other creatures that have the same desire to live, are just as funny, and have the same reaction to pain as my dogs?'” she once said.
“I went vegan for the animals, but the health transformation I experienced and continue to experience was extraordinary,” Silverstone added. “This revolutionized my world at 21 and shaped my life and career tremendously.”
I can’t think of anything better in the world to be but a vegan. – Alicia Silverstone #vegan pic.twitter.com/LbYMjlJYQh
— Vegan Posters (@veganposters) December 14, 2022
Silverstone Went Vegan Over 20 Years Ago
Silverstone went vegan in 1999, and she’s claimed that it’s helped her lead a healthier life.
“I wasn’t always a vegetarian, but I’ve always loved animals,” she previously said. “Physically, the effect has been amazing.”
Over Thanksgiving last month, Silverstone took to social media to post a photo of herself and her son Bear kissing a living turkey in a clear effort to encourage others not to partake in traditional “Turkey Day” meals.
“I hope everyone is having a meaningful holiday,” she wrote in the caption.
View this post on Instagram
Everyone is entitled to have whatever diet they want, but giving up meat is certainly something that most Americans are understandably not willing to do. While Silverstone’s nude ad will definitely get people talking, it’s hard to imagine that vegan clothes are going to catch on anytime soon.