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Combating the Experimentation of Cosmetics on Animals

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“Bruiser’s Bill”: The Fight Against Animal Testing in the Cosmetic Industry

Right now, as I type this post, millions of animals are cramped inside cold, dark cages in laboratories across the nation. Many of them cry out in pain after a long day of torture and abuse, while some sit quietly in fear, awaiting the same fate as their neighbors when the sun rises. None of them will ever understand why they were placed in such an unfortunate position, but all of them will wonder if they will ever see freedom. As an avid animal lover and proud dog owner, I find it extremely hard to understand how or why scientists could use animals (that most of us would call family) as test subjects for a new cosmetic item. Many of these scientists and laboratories use unethical and inhumane treatments/procedures on the animals that can eventually lead to their death. According to the Humane Society, the most common animal procedures include:

  • Forced chemical exposure in toxicity testing, which can include oral force-feeding, forced inhalation, skin or injection into the abdomen, muscle, etc.
  • Exposure to drugs, chemicals or infectious disease at levels that cause illness, pain and distress, or death
  • Genetic manipulation, e.g., addition or “knocking out” of one or more genes
  • Ear-notching and tail-clipping for identification
  • Short periods of physical restraint for observation or examination
  • Prolonged periods of physical restraint
  • Food and water deprivation
  • Surgical procedures followed by recovery
  • Infliction of wounds, burns and other injuries to study healing
  • Infliction of pain to study its physiology and treatment
  • Behavioral experiments designed to cause distress, e.g., electric shock or forced swimming
  • Other manipulations to create “animal models” of human diseases ranging from cancer to stroke to depression
  • Killing by carbon dioxide asphyxiation, neck-breaking, decapitation, or other means

(http://www.hsi.org/campaigns/end_animal_testing/qa/about.html)

I have not always felt so strongly against the use of cosmetic testing on animals. In fact, I wasn’t truly aware of the inhumane experimentation until a few years ago when I watched a silly, little movie called Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde. Although this may seem comical, Legally Blonde 2 was the main reason why I became so protective against animals and their rights. In the movie, Harvard Law graduate, Elle Woods, travels to Washington D.C. to pass a bill (Bruiser’s Bill) to put an end to animal testing after she finds out that her dog’s mother is used for testing at a cosmetic company that is represented by her law firm. I didn’t think that the animal testing in the cosmetic industry was a huge issue at first, but after I watched this movie, I became more aware of the truth and lies behind animal testing.

 

Fortunately, I am not the only person against animal testing in the cosmetic industry. In a survey that spanned from 2001 to 2013, researchers asked 1,000 US adults every year if they found animal testing morally acceptable or wrong. According to the survey, there was a 23% rise compared to what people thought in 2001. The survey data also showed that the majority of women and young adults under the age of thirty felt that animal testing was morally wrong. In the link listed below, Mirror News goes into more depth about the survey and how opposition to the practice is rising every year.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/technology-science/science/animal-testing-number-people-opposed-3153184

 

After all of this talk about opposing animal testing, you may be thinking if there are any benefits or positive to this issue. According to ProCon.org, “Some cosmetics and health care products must be tested on animals to ensure their safety. American women use an average of 12 personal care products per day, so product safety is of great importance. [41] The US Food and Drug Administration endorses the use of animal tests on cosmetics to “assure the safety of a product or ingredient.” [42] China requires that all cosmetics be tested on animals before they go on sale, so cosmetics companies must have their products tested on animals if they want distribution in China. [43] Mosquito repellent, which helps protect people from malaria and other dangerous illnesses, must undergo toxicological testing (which involves animal testing) in order to be sold in the United States and Europe. [44]”. From this statement, it can be deduced that animal testing for the use of cosmetics is imperative to ensure the safety of humans.

(http://animal-testing.procon.org/)

13 Responses to “Bruiser’s Bill”: The Fight Against Animal Testing in the Cosmetic Industry

  1. Kathryn says:

    Hey Colleen!
    I love that you chose this topic. As a makeup user, I’ve always tried to avoid the thinking about animal testing because I’m sure many products I use test on animals, but I don’t want to admit that I’m a crappy person for basically supporting animal testing through buying these products. After reading the list of all the things done to these animals, I feel horrible (which means you did a great job with this blog!).

    I really loved your Legally Blonde reference and how that was your reason for becoming interested in the topic, since I love Legally Blonde as well!

    I was wondering if you had researched any other means that people can go about testing cosmetic products, other than using animals? Like, how do cruelty-free companies go about testing their products? Also, in your list you mentioned that animals are made into “models” of diseases like cancer or depression, so I’m assuming that prescription and over the counter drugs are tested on animals as well. Do you think you will write about drug testing as well or just focus on cosmetics?

    Can’t wait to read more!
    Katie

    • Colleen says:

      Hey girl hey!
      It’s not your fault for buying certain products that are tested on animals. Many products that don’t test on animals include a label on the bottle that specially state that they do not test on animals, so if you really want to be a strong supporter, just check the label on the products! But, I can also see a conflict of interest because many awesome products may test on animals and you have to decide what you value more. That’s how it was for me at first, but I realized that I loved animals over makeup. And who doesn’t love Legally Blonde, who doesn’t?!
      I really wanted to research other means of cosmetic testing! So thanks for bringing that up because I almost forgot! That’s a really good idea so maybe if you come across anything you could send me some links! I’m also going to focus on cosmetic testing because my blogs would be novels if I had to talk about animal testing in every aspect.
      Thanks babe
      Love, Colleen

  2. Austyn says:

    Hey Colleen!
    I’m so happy that someone from our class is writing about animal cruelty because I’ve always been interested in it! I’m an animal lover, seriously I’m obsessed! I’ve never understood why animals were used to test cosmetics on. I understand that using humans could lead to potential health issues and law suits, but just because animals don’t have a voice in our society doesn’t mean they should go unheard!
    My favorite part of your blog is the list of things experimenters do to animals. I didn’t know that all these harmful things were being done on animals! Reading the list made me upset because I just don’t understand how experimenters can do such things to cute, harmless animals! I know that I could never work in the field of animal testing because I would feel guilty ALL THE TIME!
    I also really liked the way your blog was set up! It was super easy to read because the paragraphs weren’t overwhelming to look at. You had the right amount of information to support your claim that animal testing is wrong.
    A suggestion I have for your next blog is to maybe write why animal testing isn’t as bad as many animal lovers think it is. I did this for my blog and it definitely made me rethink my opinion and it was interesting to read about why my opinion wasn’t the right way to think.
    Great first blog post and I can’t wait to read more!
    ~Austyn Rivers

    • Colleen says:

      Hey girl!
      I’m an animal lover too! I honestly wonder who isn’t, but I never understood how people could take animals, that some people could consider as family, and test chemicals and other dangerous materials on them. I was considering whether or not I should include the list of experiments because I wasn’t sure if it was appropriate or if it would make people upset. However, as a dedicated animal rights supporter, I felt that it was imperative to include the list to bring some light to the situation. Thank you for your support on the issue and my organization hahahaha!
      I tried to include at the end of my blog some benefits to animal testing, but I think it came off as confusing to some people because it made it sound like I was agreeing with animal testing. So, I may focus on that for another blog post to reduce any confusion in my blog.
      Thank you for everything!
      -Colleen

  3. Gianna says:

    Hey Colleen!!!,
    I like the name of your blog , its definitely fantabulous with the tiffany blue background. The name of this blog post real caught my eye since I’ve seen legally blonde 2 (don’t judge me) even though its not as good as the first movie. I think the movie definitely does bring up the important issue of animal testing. Should we or should we not do it?? You have a lot of facts that definitely sway my opinion toward being against animal testing. In your last paragraph though you started taking about the benefits of it while I think its important to talk about both side you probably should have waited until the next blog to talk about the benefits. But you still had a great blog and I was like crying about what they do to the animals i love dogs and all I was thinking about was my puppy at home :(((. Anyway good job and keep writing fantabulous blogs.
    -see you later gurl <333
    GIGI

    • Colleen says:

      Hey GDuncan
      Thanks for the positive feedback! I’m also obviously not judging you for seeing Legally Blonde 2 considering I included it in my blog post (and when is sequel as good as the first). I apologize if my last paragraph seemed confusing. I wanted to bring up the fact that not everyone is against animal testing and what some benefits of it could be to show both sides of the issue. I probably should have placed it somewhere else in the blog or used it for the topic in another blog (like you said). I also think the last sentence in the final paragraph could have thrown my whole point off because I “deduced” that animal testing was imperative, therefore, I incorrectly worded my final statement. I should probably go back and fix that. Thank you for the constructive criticism though, what would I ever do without you?!?!
      Love ya guuuurl
      -Colleen

  4. Nick Turturro says:

    COLLLWEEEEENIE! Ok here I go. This is a great post, but I hate you for the intro. So damn sad and #touching. You really brought your topic to life and made the audience feel what you wanted them to feel. Everyone has a soft spot for animals, and you definitely took advantage of that. I also liked how you transitioned very cleanly from a narrative to the facts. Great use and placement of quotes too. A slight issue is that the paragraphs got a little lengthy, but the content inside them is fully loaded so it evens out. Great Job ween! -Turt

    • Colleen says:

      TURTLE
      I love you. Thank you! I like how you hashtagged touching by the way. I really wanted to do this topic because I’m a strong supporter of animal rights, plus I have a dog and could never imagine her being so mistreated. Thanks for the good feedback, I appreciate it. I understand how my paragraphs got a little lengthy and that I should cut them back a bit (I probably bored a few people). Next time, I keep it under 700 words ahahah.
      -Colleen

  5. Christina says:

    Hi Colleen!

    Congratulations on doing a good job on your first blog post. Your post was informative without being overbearing. I like that you kept things light by referencing Legally Blonde 2, yet offered convincing facts from reputable sources to back up your claims and inform your readers.

    I did a quick google news search about animal testing and found a few interesting articles you might want to look at:

    http://www.outsourcing-pharma.com/Preclinical-Research/Arrogance-and-animal-testing-the-hurdles-to-outsourcing
    http://www.foxnews.com/health/2014/03/18/new-technology-aims-to-minimize-animal-testing-for-drug-discovery/
    And, in case you don’t want to read an article from FOX News, here’s the same story written by a different author on a different website:
    http://news.discovery.com/animals/liver-stand-in-could-replace-animal-testing-140318.htm

    I hope this helps!
    ~Christina K.

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