I’m usually pretty quick to pick up on fashion trends here at Whitman College. This semester’s fad: pastel-hued nail polish (if you haven’t noticed it already, you will now…it really is EVERYWHERE). I’m pleased to see that this relatively harmless trend has usurped last year’s style craze, the infamous rooster-feather hair extensions. However, this trend is still in full swing outside the Whitman bubble, where it seems as though everyone and their second cousin has woven some of these extensions into their ‘do. I’ve seen girls as young as five sporting these stripey accessories. Where do these feathers come from? What happens to the birds that are raised to supply these feathers after their assets have been plucked? And why has PETA recently lodged a false-advertisement complaint against a manufacturer of these extensions? These are important questions that I think few consumers contemplate before purchasing rooster-feather hair accessories.
Try to refrain from adding some roo to your 'do...if "roo" stands for "rooster."
According to an article from Discovery.com, breeders choose raise roosters such as the Plymouth Rock rooster for their long, beautifully striped feathers that, until recently, were primarily used in the production of fly fishing lures. Selective breeding of the roosters has made their feathers resistant and tough, perfect to withstand the constant movement that comes with the repetitive casting of tackle in fly fishing. As it turns out, the feathers are also strong enough to remain intact in spite of all the heat and product women use to style their hair. When celebrities such as Steven Tyler and Jennifer Love Hewitt began making public appearances with the brightly dyed plumage woven into their luscious locks, the trend caught on like wildfire among young fashionistas. Last semester here at Whitman College, five girls in my Spanish class alone displayed these extensions.
A Plymouth Rock rooster
Yet, questions such as, “How are these feathers taken from the roosters?” and “What happens to the roosters after their feathers are harvested?” lead to disturbing admissions. Contrary to popular belief, rooster farmers do not simply walk up to the roosters and pluck a few feathers from their tails to fulfill their quotas. The roosters live for about a year while their feathers grow to their maximum length, then the birds are euthanized. If allowed a natural lifespan, roosters are perfectly capable of living up to ten years, depending on the breed. Since rooster meat is considered too stringy and tough to make good eating, the carcasses are often burned or composted. The conditions in which these roosters are housed is often deplorable, as living conditions typically are whenever animals are associated with large-scale commercial operations. PETA recently sued a company selling the feathers, Fine Featherheads, for what it claims were false statements regarding the roosters’ welfare. Fine Featherheads had asserted that the roosters that supplied its feathers were raised in “cage free” environments, while PETA argued that this was not the case. An article from the Seattle Times cited a representative of Whiting Farms, a business that supplies feathers to vendors like Fine Featherheads, who said the company was “harvesting” 1,500 roosters a week in order to fulfill the growing demand for the feathers.
So, to those of you readers who are looking for a way to make over your hairdo or change up your look, I would encourage you to choose a cruelty-free style. Hair extensions made from synthetic hair, permanent or semi-permanent dye, or hair tinsel (see below) are all fun, animal-friendly ways to have fun with fashion trends. Besides, now that I’ve seen middle-aged to elderly women with these rooster feathers in their hair, I’m getting the feeling that this trend has passed its peak of popularity and is becoming a fashion cliché (thank goodness!).
Beyoncé rocks some hair tinsel, a cruelty-free option for the fashion-inclined.
