With over 70,000 followers on Instagram, he is a TV profile and influencer Tonje Frigstad (22) probably used to being under the control of followers.
Now it’s the 22-year-old’s latest ad for clothing store Kouture that has many people seeing red.
The Southern girl posted a carousel of photos to Instagram on Wednesday, highlighted as an advertisement for the clothing store. In two of the images, we see the TV profile of her wearing a winter jacket with raccoon fur on the hood.
– I’m mad at him
Several took to the comments section to tell the 22-year-old what they think on the subject.
Get reactions
“Real fur?” one follower asks, followed by a crying emoji.
The head of animal rights organization NOAH, Siri Martinsen, also reacts to Frigstad’s advertising partnership.
– It’s sad that people advertise fur, whether they are influencers or not. It is clear that when you are and have a lot of followers, you need to think more about what consequences the advertised products have, says Martinsen.
– And this has the consequence of suffering for animals.
Explain that animals such as raccoons are usually caught with scissors.
– There’s no way to find out how the animal was caught, so even though foot shears are illegal in Norway, fur from illegal traps is also imported here, which of course is very painful.
He adds that legal traps are also painful for the animals.
– So there’s never a good reason to wear fur, says Martinsen.
– A very painful practice
Martinsen can tell that the organization sees few fur ads at the moment.
– That you regularly advertise real fur is something very few people do. Most people have realized that this is not ethically justifiable, he explains, and elaborates:
Asked to go grouse hunting in bikini
– We believe that many people now know what it takes to avoid products with fur, and that the challenge is more than just buying fur because it doesn’t look like real fur. It’s been a problem for a long time.
– So it’s important to read what clothes contain, and if they contain fur, then you don’t buy them. Because there is always animal cruelty, whether it comes from animals in cramped cages or in traps.
He can tell that the organization is working to ban the import of fur, both farmed and caught.
– It is totally useless and a very painful practice.
Bottom line, Martinsen believes it’s good that people react when celebrities wear fur, and that it’s important to speak politely.
– So I really hope people will reconsider their use of fur.
– When we worked for a ban that we passed, one of the campaigns was “Celebs Against Fur”.
The campaign was attended by several stars who have already worn fur.
– So it’s never too late just because you’ve worn fur in public, so it’s never too late to turn around and start siding with animals instead.
– My double standard
Frigstad has been presented with the criticisms and he can tell Dagbladet that he understands why there are criticisms.
I had to hide from the cameras
– I think it’s very natural, I figured people would react a little bit. I was a little insecure too. I don’t like furs. But before I got this jacket, I asked a lot of questions to Kouture, who sells them. It is leftover fur, and this was thoroughly checked before they started selling the jackets.
The remaining fur comes from animals that have already died. In other words, it means that the animal was not killed with the intention of producing fur products.
– NOAH talks about animals that suffer during fur production. What do you think?
– It’s absolutely true what they say. So it’s a bit of a double standard for me to agree with that and still post a photo of a jacket with fur on it. So I really just want to lay down. I agree it is not okay to advertise fur but this is leftover fur and not a brand that we know is involved in animal cruelty.
Frigstad is aware of the responsibility he has as an influential person, but he also believes that people can make their own choices.
– As an influencer, I always have responsibilities, because I know there are people who follow me and notice what I do. But people need to be able to make their own choices, and people will always react no matter what you do. So I think I’ll choose to go with a winter jacket with fur, and then people can make their choice whether they want to do the same or not.
– Animal welfare must come first
Dagbladet also spoke to Natalie Henriksen, owner of Kouture. She explains that they follow EU regulations.
– The opposite in Asia
– In the shops we have a product with fur and I can confirm that when importing goods with fur to Norway, there are very strict guidelines in this regard. We have been informed by the factory that both raw materials, animal welfare and working conditions comply with EU standards. They must have certificates stating that they work according to EU rules.
– Does this jacket have fur residue?
– The one wearing Tonje has a raccoon on the edge of the hood. Raccoons are a plague in Asia – now I’m not the expert here but that means that to keep the population down they have to hunt and kill a certain number. Instead of throwing the animal away, it is used, for example, for fur trims on jackets.
– What do you think of NOAH’s criticisms?
– We absolutely agree that animal welfare should come first. This is the only product we have with fur in it and we understand that it is responsibly processed fur. At Kouture we are absolutely concerned with animal welfare: residual fur means that the animal is already dead, explains Henriksen.
