It’s not easy to be an animal these days. You’re hunted; you’re hit by cars; you’re fried for Shake and Bake; you’re sandwiched between lettuce and mayo and you run around campus with half of your furry tail missing. (Aw, Disney moment).

For reasons such as these, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) was invented, who helped bring the idea of animal rights into the mainstream, and little Bambis everywhere owe them their heart’s blood. Literally.

Unfortunately, PETA – while caring very much about baboons and cows – has little to no respect or regard for women.

PETA first started trading animal flesh for female flesh in the early ’90s. During that time, they had models such as Cindy Crawford pose for advertisements that read “I’d rather go naked than wear fur.” It was more tongue-in-cheek than explicitly sexual, yet it led to a much darker path of misogyny and patriarchy. (Another Disney moment?)

PETA’s recent ads have taken things from tongue-in-cheek to downright pornographic. In 2001, Playmate Kimberly Hefner posed in a mock Uncle Sam “I want you” ad, only this time, the ad said, “I want you to go vegetarian.”

In July, two more Playboy Playmates (who are, let’s face it, the moral centers of the American public) protested eating meat by posing in lettuce bikinis and handing out veggie hot dogs on Capitol Hill. Also in July, the new “Tracy Bingham Gets to the Meat of the Matter” advertisement hit big. In this ad, a completely nude Bingham sits with her back to the camera, showing lines drawn on her body that say things like “Rump,” “Round,” and “Chuck.”

PETA also started a new ad campaign in British Columbia in July. In this ad, a pig’s head and an attractive woman’s head are shown side by side next to a tagline that reads “Neither of us is meat.” This ad is a reference to the alleged serial killer and pig farmer Robert Pickton who is believed to have killed at least 15 women (and God knows how many pigs). As Rick Frey, father of a 24-year-old victim, stated, “I don’t think we need to be reminded … In the early stages, I had nightmares. This won’t help at all.”

Now, come on, Ricky, aren’t we being a tad bit selfish? This is all in the good name of bacon and ham … and the one who went “wee wee wee” all the way home.

When confronted by such concerns, PETA had this to say: “We have found people do pay more attention to our racier actions, and we consider the public’s attention to be extremely important … although some consider our projects that feature naked women to be controversial, many women express their support for this effective campaign.”

Be that as it may, I do not know a single woman that would support an advertising campaign promoting the degradation of women, even if it was all for a good cause. Does the world really need another nude, sexualized image of a woman? Do we really need another fascist image of beauty forcing hundreds more girls and women into eating disorders?

Think about PETA. You’re only hurting yourself here. What happens when your ads drive millions of women to the Atkins diet? There won’t be enough raw meat to go around.

The bottom line is that it is not okay to objectify women’s bodies, even if it is the quickest way to get attention. What if Truth ads started showing naked women in bed after sex … not smoking? What if Drug-Free ads had scantily clad models say that you can be thin without using cocaine?

Luckily, the people at those organizations at least try to be a little more creative. Shame on you, PETA, for just succumbing to the same old media stereotypes.

Because, come to think of it, animals aren’t the only creatures with feelings.

Bridget Sharkey is a senior in LAS. Her column runs Mondays. She can be reached at [email protected].