- PETA have issued demand to wives and girlfriends
- Not the first time group has criticised footy figures
Animal rights activists have called for a complete ban on feathers on the red carpet ahead of the AFL’s Brownlow Medal ceremony in September.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) recently penned an open letter to Daniel Pendergast, the Senior Event Executive at the AFL to make the demand.
The glamour social event is often dubbed the ‘Gownlows’ due to the focus on the eye-catching outfits worn by the partners of the country’s biggest footy stars.
Mimi Bekhechi, PETA’s Senior Campaigns Advisor, doesn’t want to see any gowns featuring feathers or fur at this year’s footy night of nights.
‘The Brownlow Medal awards the fairest and best, but there’s nothing remotely fair about birds being live plucked, factory farmed and killed for their feathers,’ Bekhechi said in a statement.
‘We urge the AFL to make real birds’ feathers as unwelcome on the Brownlow red carpet as cheating is on the field.’
Animal rights activists have called for a complete ban on feathers on the red carpet ahead of the Brownlow Medal in September (pictured, Collingwood star Josh Daicos and partner Annalise Dalins at the event last year)
The glamour social event is often dubbed the ‘Gownlows’ due to the focus on the outfits worn by players’ partners (pictured, AFL great Chris Judd and his wife Rebecca at the 2024 Brownlow ceremony)
It comes after PETA called on the Western Bulldogs to retire their mascots and change the club’s name last September.
PETA’s complaint pointed to the AFL club’s ‘deformed’ mascots, Caesar and Sunny, who attend every home game dressed in Bulldogs attire.
Bekhechi issued a letter to Bulldogs president Kylie Watson-Wheeler in which she urged the club to recognise health issues with the bulldog breed, suggesting the club should change its name to the ‘Western Mutts’ to promote animal wellbeing.
PETA believes the use of bulldogs Caesar and Sunny ‘normalises and advocates for the breeding of breathing-impaired breeds of dogs who suffer severe health problems and deformities’.
‘Extremely short snouts spell suffering,’ Bekhechi said in the letter.
‘By showcasing Caesar and Sunny at games and events and promoting their breeder, the team is – however unwittingly – supporting the intentional breeding of dogs with painful and debilitating deformities.’
PETA offered to contribute to rebranding costs, arguing by changing its name the club would promote homeless animals.
‘We have a suggestion that will modernise the Western Bulldogs’ image: retire Caesar and Sunny and rename the club the “Western Mutts”,’ PETA said in the letter.
Last September, the Western Bulldogs (pictured after winning the 2016 grand final) were urged to change their club name to the ‘Western Mutts’ by PETA
The animal welfare group said the Western Bulldogs should not use ‘deformed’ Caesar (pictured) as a mascot at home games in Melbourne
‘By not promoting breathing impaired dog breeds (BIB)…you would avoid normalising their suffering and instead help champion loveable and unique mixed-breed dogs, who typically live longer and are healthier than their flat-faced cousins.
‘By relinquishing Caesar and Sunny’s mascot duties to your willing human costumed mascots and renaming the team the ‘Western Mutts’, you would be taking a stand against the ‘pedigree’ dog–breeding industry while championing the adoption of wonderful mixed breeds and other homeless animals.’
At the time, the Western Bulldogs chose not to comment on the matter.
Animal nicknames are common for many Australian sports clubs, although the Western Bulldogs, West Coast Eagles, Canterbury Bulldogs and Brisbane Broncos are the only professional footy clubs to use real animals as mascots on game days.
