Each year, more than one billion rabbits and fifty million other animals — including foxes, seals, mink and dogs — are raised on fur farms or trapped in the wild and killed for their pelts. That is 1/7 of the entire world population that is killed off each year for the sake of fashion.
PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) is the largest animal rights organization in the world, with more than 6.5 million members. PETA’s motto is “Animals are not ours to eat, wear, experiment on, use for entertainment, or abuse in any other way.” PETA uses graphic images and celebrity endorsements to show the importance of animal cruelty and to persuade the citizens of the U.S.
This poster aims to disgust the audience and make them think about the origins of their fashion choices. PETA wants to decrease the amount of animal cruelty in the U.S. and hopes that their campaigns will trigger an emotion in the U.S. population that will discourage them from any inhumane actions in the future. The bloody, brutally skinned animal that is being held by Dionne Bromfield in the poster is using strong pathos to appeal to the emotions of the audience to enlighten them to the true horrors of the fur industry.
The exigence for my analysis was because I already have strong opinions on the fur industry and PETA campaigns in general, but this particular poster/advertisement made me emotional in a way that I felt I wanted to examine the rhetorical strategies PETA used in order to make me feel that way. The presence of the dead animal grabs the attention of the audience (and even tends to shock them) at first glance, because how often do you see a dead animal on a poster?
When first looking at this poster, you are faced with an overwhelming factor: the color red. The deep red background, the bloody, skinned animal, the text, the red smoke billowing around, the dress that Dionne Bromfield is wearing, her lips, and even the color of her nails. While commonly known as the color for love or passion, red is also used to signify anger, danger, malice, and most importantly: blood. PETA uses the color red in this context to instill a feeling of pain or anger into the audience’s mind- possibly to give them the perspective of the deceased animal.
Without looking to deeply into the poster, it looks as if the background is different shades of red with some hints of black, but a closer look shows the blood-red smoke billowing around the dangling animal. This smoke could simply just be smoke for a visual effect, but I interpreted it as a satanic-looking smoke, possibly ascending from hell. This could be a stretch, but the religious demographic of the PETA audience would react strongly to this tactic, and would certainly rethink their previous actions if they had partaken in inhumane acts before. PETA uses pathos in this particular poster to provoke a feeling of anger and possibly sympathy for the slaughtered animal. The gruesome image of the animal is more effective than using a picture of a pretty fur coat that had previously come from the same animal: would you rather see a nice fur coat or a bludgeoned, skinned animal? Exactly, the coat. PETA shows people what they don’t want to see in order to inform them of things they might have no previously known, or have just been ignoring.
Historically, PETA has used celebrities in their advertisements. Now, why is this effective? Celebrity endorsement of a company or product helps boost brand recognition/equity, which boosts sales. Imagine you recognize a certain celebrity whom you admire- maybe they’re in your favorite tv show or they sing your favorite song- and they are pictured in a PETA advertisement, condoning the humane treatment of animals and demolishing the ideas of slaughter and use of fur for human benefit, what would be your reaction? If you truly admire this person, you might stop and think that “Well, if they think that treating animals cruelly is corrupt, maybe I should follow in their footsteps.” This though process is extremely common in children, but can also occur in the minds of adults. PETA uses ethos in this specific symbol to emphasize the credibility of animal rights by using a celebrity endorsement, which shows that if someone is well-liked enough to be a celebrity, they have correct moral views and audiences should follow their lead.
Ultimately, PETA uses the rhetorical devices of ethos and pathos to effectively trigger their audience’s emotions and though processes in order to persuade their viewpoints about the fur industry. The prevalence of the color red in the poster conveys, quite obviously, the feelings PETA wants you to have regarding not only the poster, but the entire PETA movement as a whole. The use of ethos through celebrity endorsements appeals to the audience’s need for an authority figure to persuade their beliefs.
(take time to rethink conclusion)