Alicia Silverstone posed nude in a new ad for non-profit organisation People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
In the ad, the 46-year-old stood in front of a field of cactuses and wore nothing but a pair of vegan leather boots. The promotion reads: “DON’T BE A PRICK…Buy cactus, mushroom, or apple leather instead!”
The ad will also be featured on a billboard in Times Square, New York, per PETA.
Silverstone also participated in a video interview to accompany the ad where she emphasised how important it is for her to advocate for animals.
“If it takes me getting naked for you to care about animals, then that is what I’m after,” she told viewers.
The Clueless star even noted that she hasn’t posed nude for any acting-related projects.
“I never, ever get naked,” she continued. “In TV, in film, nothing, nope. But I’ve done it for PETA because that’s how much it matters to me.”
She went on to explain that even though people may believe “that leather is somehow better for the earth,” that’s not actually the case.
“But what they don’t realise is the amount of resources, water, food, oil for transport, the amount of energy that goes into making leather is extraordinary,” she said. “It’s just not sustainable. The Earth can’t handle it.”
She then shared alternatives to leather, adding: “I have found really good materials that are natural. They’re using mushroom leather, they’re using pineapple leather, cactus leather.”
After noting how “incredible” these types or leathers are, she expressed her hopes for people in fashion to use them.
“My dream is to get these vegan, earth-friendly materials into the hands of famous designers,” she said. “I really like the merge of being conscious of no animal skin and being conscious of the earth because we all have to live in it, the animals and us. And without it, we’re screwed.”
She emphasised her stance, adding: “I’d rather go naked than wear animals.”
Silverstone, who is a vegan and animal rights activist, has worked extensively with PETA over the years. In 2020, she went nude for the organisation’s “first-ever naked vegan testimonial public service announcement”.
She shared a message with the organisation to explain that while she “wasn’t always a vegan”, she’s “always loved animals”. Silverstone also noted how her plant-based diet has been beneficial to her.
“I’ve been vegan for 10 years, and it’s the single-most important and helpful decision I have ever made,” The Crush star said. “Physically, the effect has been amazing. Once I went vegan, I lost the weight I wanted to lose, my nails were stronger, and my skin was glowing. I feel great, and I look better now than I did 11 years ago.”
In 2016, she posed nude for another ad for PETA and said she’d “rather go naked than wear wool”.
“[I]t’s just so fast, the shearing process,” she said in a video interview at the time. “[The sheep are] cut. They’re harmed. They get very seriously wounded, and there’s no care for them when they’re wounded. It’s just, ‘Move on to the next.’”
