Playboy model Joanna Krupa recently appeared in a PETA advertising campaign wearing nothing but a strategically placed crucifix. The ad series, Be An Angel for Animals, is intended to encourage people to adopt more animals from shelters and also includes a picture of a topless Krupa holding a rosary. Catholics and others who oppose the images have labeled the campaign ‘sacrilegious.'
We’re taking a look at perspectives from FOX News, E! News Online, New York Daily News and CNN.
FOX News talked to Deal Hudson, publisher of InsideCatholic.com, who says that the ads are ‘totally inappropriate’ and unfairly target Christianity.
"It's another instance of disrespect toward Christianity and another example of the kind of abuse that would never occur with any other major religion, because the outcry would be so immediate and so loud that the people behind it would immediately retreat."
New York Daily News reports a statement made by Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League, who not only criticizes the ads, but PETA as an organization.
"The fact is that cats and dogs are a lot safer in pet stores than they are in the hands of PETA employees. Moreover, pet stores don't rip off Christian iconography and engage in cheap irreligious claims. PETA is a fraud.”
CNN's HLN talks to Lisa Lange, senior vice president of Communications for PETA, about why the organization chose to run the ad.
“Sex does sell. This is a very sexy ad. It’s a beautiful ad. I encourage everybody to go to PETA.org and see for yourself, what do you think? We think it’s a beautiful ad, we love Joanna for doing it, and we think it’s going to save lives.”
But Krupa, an animal rights activist herself, continues to defend the ad. E! News Online presents her point of view.
“Joanna, a practicing Catholic, says she’s shocked over all the furry fuss and remains proud of her ads, saying ‘I’m doing what the Catholic Church should be doing, working to stop senseless suffering of animals, the most defenseless of God’s creation.’”
What do you think of the ads? Are they disrespectful to the Christian faith, or are they just a clever marketing campaign?
Writer: Paige Pritchard
Producer:
