Ireland Basinger-Baldwin Would ‘Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur’

It’s a Family Affair as 22-Year-Old Model Follows in Her Mother’s Footsteps for Fierce New PETA Ad

For Immediate Release:
February 28, 2018

Contact:
Moira Colley 202-483-7382

Following in her mother’s footsteps for what may be PETA’s boldest ad yet, Ireland Basinger-Baldwin takes a strong stance with her body covered only by the words “I’d Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur.” In the ad, available here and shot by celebrity photographer Brian Bowen Smith, the 22 year old raises her hands in support of Gucci, Michael Kors, and the hundreds of other companies that have gone fur-free.

In an exclusive video interview, the model shares how her mother, Kim Basinger—who posed for PETA’s iconic anti-fur campaign in 1994—inspired her to bare all: “I saw the images from when my mom shot this campaign, so it was something that I had aspired to do,” she says. “If you wouldn’t wear your dog, then you shouldn’t wear fur at all because all animals are equal and deserve equal respect and equal compassion and love.”

She is fur-free in her professional life, too, adding, “I actually have it in my contract as a model that I won’t wear fur. I didn’t want that to be a part of my brand. I’ve had wardrobe people try to put me in fur coats and jumpsuits and lay on a fur rug and do whatever, and I’ve actually told people to f*ck off.”

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to wear”—has consistently exposed cruelty to animals who are caged, beaten, electrocuted, and even skinned alive for their fur. Many designers—including Giorgio Armani, Calvin Klein, and Ralph Lauren—went fur-free after being targeted with this exposé video of rabbit-fur farms. For the first time, Marc Jacobs used only faux fur in his New York Fashion Week shows earlier this month.

Basinger-Baldwin joins a long list of celebrities—including her father, Alec Baldwin; her stepmother, Hilaria Baldwin; Noah Cyrus, Kesha, and P!nk—who have teamed up with PETA to promote kindness to animals.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.