I began a movement in 2023 when I founded Feather Phase Out. Burlesque performers as well as other entertainers and even fashion designers are now switching to feather alternatives and boycotting the feather industry.
As you know H5N1 has been around for years and has been adapting and evolving to be stronger and recently has killed people. Primary focus is currently on how this virus is affecting the dairy industry, but initially this virus impacted only farmed birds in cramped and unnatural living conditions. It then spread to wild birds and then to mammals in the wild. Farming facilities often trigger virus outbreaks that affect surrounding wildlife, this happens with fish farms, pig farms, camel farms etc and now, we have history in the making.
Feathers are weightless, yet enough chickens are killed yearly that an estimated 40 million tons of unused poultry feathers are incinerated every year. The global feather industry is currently valued at around $5.2 billion. Buying, wearing, and selling feathers supports a HUGE, profitable industry that is responsible for the spread of avian bird flu.
The video above depicts a prototype design of some new fans I’ve been imagining for a year or so. The material is called polyethylene and while this particular polyethylene is plastic based (and recyclable), there are plant based versions of the same material. My hopes are to perfect this design- make it stable, long lasting and more beautiful and then experiment with the plant based polyethylene.
Shifting diets, fashion, and entertainment away from animal products is the ethical choice. Continuing to treat animals as insensate commodities at the level we are currently practicing is not sustainable. Faux feathers is the new faux fur.
I also think I made burlesque history by dancing to Enya. If you’ve seen someone else burlesquing to Enya, let me know because I’d like to be friends with that dancer.
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