Miranda Lambert Gets Nasty Backlash Over Her Fur Coats

A family heirloom is often the most cherished gift. A keepsake that has history, memories, and sentiment makes the receiver and giver feel all the warm fuzzies. But for singer Miranda Lambert, this has not been the case. After Lambert was gifted two of her grandmother's fur coats for Christmas, she uploaded a picture of herself wearing the floor-length topper to Instagram. Immediately, critical comments rolled in. The singer has always been an advocate and major voice behind animal's rights. She even created the MuttNation Foundation in 2007 with her mother, Bev Lambert. The foundation's mission is "to end animal cruelty, neglect, and homelessness," the website says. So clearly, you see the problem. Is it appropriate for an animal rights activist to also not only own, but also wear and flaunt, real fur? That is the question circulating the internet. Remember that the fur coats were inherited by Lambert, she is so not financially supporting the fur industry — but that isn't enough for many of her fans and other activists.

The whole situation is murky and near-ironic: The post right before her adorned in the controversial coat is a holiday picture of her fur family. The five dogs she currently owns are all rescues, as pointed out by the hashtag #dontforgetloveashelterpet. Whatever animal the hand-me-down fur coats came from, it does come off as both to contradictory and insensitive in the context of her previous alignment with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, a.k.a. PETA. PETA Vice President Lisa Lange spoke out about the post. "We had higher hopes," she said in a statement to Entertainment Tonight. "Since Miranda rescues dogs, we always thought she could see that whether fur comes from a mink, a fox, or a dog or a cat in China, the source is always a gentle animal who did not want to die." Social media commenters agreed with Lange.

But at the same time, other fans and supporters stood by Lambert's pictures, concluding that it was a beautiful gift and she in no way contributed to the death of the animal.

Lambert has not released a comment on the matter.