Week 2: A Pet Peeve, Indeed.

Coincidentally, my biggest pet peeve is related to pets. Nothing grinds my gears more than seeing animals dressed as humans. I hope you understand what I’m talking about. The fad seems to be a growing one: commercials, birthday cards, calendars, and the list can go on and on. Our society, namely middle-aged women, reveres the image of animals garnishing themselves in human attire. Not only is this practice offensive to me, but those poor animals are subject to detrimental humiliation. Imagine how the teacup pig feels when he has to face his friends after wearing a sundress in his last photo shoot. What about the kitten that wears a sheriff costume, the goat in a tuxedo, or the classic example of dog in blue jeans and cowboy hat. There is no way that they are enjoying themselves.
Another reason this irritates me is because a number of times I have seen clothing strikingly similar to mine worn by these animals. Needless to say, this has an adverse effect on my self-esteem. The next time I put on my blue polo and khaki shorts and stare in that mirror, the image of the orangutan wearing almost the exact same outfit as me will settle right in the middle of my mind. Then it is only natural to wonder if what I am wearing is fit for a human, or merely the monkey. My day is ruined as I question myself throughout the day on whether or not I’m wearing monkey clothing.
The solution to this travesty of animal rights and my self-image is simple: take the pictures without the poor animals having to wear clothing. I think the calendar would sell just as successfully if the teacup pigs were sitting in flower pots or playing poker. It is just as cute if not cuter! The responsibility to ending this lies with the consumer. If the consumer speaks its voice and expresses disdain for the very product, the manufacturers will have no choice but to produce what the people want. If this does not pan out for me, and my second plan of getting some sort of bill passed through congress does not work out, then I will have no choice but to change my mindset. I will force myself to accept that animals dressed as humans are now and embedded element to the American culture.