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PETA Pan: Young at Heart

Following the release of Dan Mathews' biography, Alexia Weeks chats to PETA about nudity, 'Newkirk Nuggets' and the animal rights scene

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Although People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) are still gaining stature in the UK, across the pond they are known to every man, woman and animal. That's not to say that everybody likes them, it's safe to say there's a good mix of love and hate - a bit like Marmite. Regardless, they are the world's biggest animal rights organisation with over a million members and countless more supporters.

Most well known for their outrageous publicity stunts and shocking adverts, PETA know how to respond quickly and efficiently. They have come a long way from the days when people thought they were 'People for the Theatrical Treatment of Animals', or 'People for the Ethnic Treatment of Animals'.

I interned at the Virginia office of PETA this Summer and was lucky enough to grab five minutes from two of the leading lights, Director Ingrid Newkirk and Vice President Dan Mathews. Ingrid has been there from the very start in 1980 and Dan followed shortly after in 1985, setting the trend for PETA's heavy use of celebrities and nudity in getting some very serious facts out there.

Rabble Rousing

Dan's new book, 'Committed: A Rabble Rouser's Memoirs', is a rampant rendition of his life to date and includes many a hilarious story about his PETA voyage. I often embarrassed myself by laughing out loud when reading about his crazy adventures, including striping naked in public a fair few times and how this can go sometimes go wrong.

I asked him what he means by this and in his witty way he gives me an example. "We were doing an I'd Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur march in Germany, right before Christmas one year. Wearing nothing but underwear and Santa hats things got a bit out of hand and we ended up running away from the police. As I was running, my pants were going further and further up my ass - you can just imagine the scene - this seven foot dunce legging it up the street with a Santa hat and a wedgie!"

The scandalous tactics PETA use in their campaigns are sometimes frowned upon by the general public and even supporters of the animal rights cause, but there's a method to their madness. Media coverage is important for any cause as it reaches hundreds of thousands of people, hitting them with saddening facts about animal abuse that otherwise would never have seen the light of day. Basically sex sells.

Attention Seeking

Dan explains: "This is a media machine: we shouldn't be only preaching to the converted. Animal rights needs to be a consumer movement too, in order to reach as many people as possible. There is so much else vying for people's attention nowadays." He does admit however that exposure to issues needs a variety of techniques, and they do this with petitions, leafleting, letter writing and glossy adverts.

This also explains why their youth branch PETA2 exists as it uses music as a medium for attracting support for their various campaigns. Bands like Bloc Party and Fall Out Boy have all been involved and it can help young music fans understand issues like vegetarianism and see that it's 'cool' to care.

Celebrity endorsement is sometimes frowned upon by staunch animal rights activists, as they worry about band-wagoning which then takes a U-turn as they decide they miss fur or meat too much. This is valid, as with the example of Naomi Campbell and her short spell of fur celibacy. But it's not the case with all celebs, the biggest example being a now close friend of Dan's, Pamela Anderson.

She has supported PETA for years and allows them to use her famous face (and gorgeous figure!) to fight cruelty to animals around the world. She is especially opposed to Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) and can be seen speaking out against this at www.kentuckyfriedcruelty.com.

So what of Ingrid, the co-founder of this huge organisation? A natural Brit, she decided to launch the organisation in America rather than the UK as she explains that back in the early eighties England was very rigid and the USA was a symbol of freedom and enlightenment. The female icon speaks highly of British born groups like Viva! and applauds anyone for making a commitment to animal rights.

She continues to battle on and although she has had a few knocks in her time it doesn't slow her down. "I get all sorts of hate mail but it does mean that what we're doing is working, and is getting to people. I was once sent a bloody package containing a poor hamster's heart", she says.

Activism Beyond Death

She still does naked demos occasionally, most recently a coffin demo in Times Square and isn't afraid to get her hands dirty. Ingrid tells me she won't even stop when she's dead and is leaving her entire remains to the cause. "I was on a plane which had to make an emergency land and nobody on it thought we would live. I suddenly thought 'If I die, that's it, that's my activism over'.

"So after surviving the treacherous flight, I decided to prolong my activism beyond this world by dividing up my body and make a statement that will last longer than me." This involves turning her skin into wallets, her feet into umbrella stands and her flesh into 'Newkirk Nuggets' and barbecued. It may sound a little freaky, but you have to admit it will attract the media. It's true PETA style, through and through.

For more information on PETA visit www.peta.org or www.peta.org.uk