Human and Animal Rights in Cosmetics and Consumerism

So yesterday, I found out something on a Temptalia comment thread about brands that you boycott and why. Someone posted saying they don't buy from Proctor&Gamble (L'Oreal, Rimmel, Maybelline, Garnier, etc etc) and Estee Lauder (MAC, Bobbi Brown, Clinique, and countless others). I thought, yeah, animal testing, that's why, nothing unusual.

But I was wrong. The reasons she boycotted these parent companies included animal cruelty, but what shocked me was this: Both parent companies (the biggest cosmetics companies in the world) support Israel's occupation and supression of Palestine.

This shook me a lot. Two companies countless people buy from support the human rights crisis supported by every western nation on the planet. These two companies outwardly support the terrorism brought to the Palestinian people from the Israeli government, the bombings, the shootings, the slaughter - because Israel thinks that they are somehow entitled to land that they really aren't. Israel have been being funded by the US and greedy corporations since this whole thing started.

Don't bother emailing them about this - they'll be as vague as they are on animal testing. The profound disgust I felt when I went into a store today and saw women fawning over these brands. They don't know. They don't know the human tragedy that they are supporting. They don't know the animal cruelty they are funding.

Speaking of, animal testing. You need to be aware, as consumers, what you are buying and what you are supporting. This goes far beyond cosmetics. Have you ever bought Iams pet food? You're going to wish you hadn't. Other things on that informative Cracked list are: Chiquita bananas, coca-cola, Dole bananas and Nestle Quik.

Have you ever heard the term "blood diamond"? Most likely, any diamond purchased in the last 50 years has funded murder, dictatorship, rape and terror through Africa, unless they are marked "synthetic diamond".

While you probably thought this was going to be a huge post, I'm simply going to end it here: Buy indie, buy local, support small business, grow your own and be a responsible consumer. Don't be afraid to ask questions, and one day, you can make a difference to the way humans and animals are treated around the world.