I have been struck with guilt and feeling very ashamed of myself. *chest thumping* I am experiencing buyer’s remorse now. The thought of me not standing up for my own beliefs and being a complete hoax terrified me. “The calf was already dead before they made use of its skin, I might as well go with the flow,” I kept telling myself over and over only to found that is not convincing at all. How callous of me to give credence to the notion that leather is not as cruel as fur . The guilt-ridden shopping spree started during my lunch break while I was riffling through stuff in T.J. Max. let me preface my story by confessing that I am a sucker for pretty things. So when I saw this Spanish designer leather handbag, I was overjoyed. The very same bag was sold in department store for over 200 bucks, but was only $120 here. As the cashier was ringing, I started to feel guilty. I remembered seeing pictures of innocent animals beheaded, screaming and writhing in pain and their bodies crushed to pulp. I remembered I was choked up with speechlessness at the cruelty. “Leather is cruel not cool,” a little angle popped up on my shoulder flapping his wings and I hesitated. Then the devil popped up on the other shoulder and hyped me up with this “ you deserve it” comment and I reached for my wallet. Suffice to say, I am not happy about the decision I’ve made at the cash register and I am thinking about returning back the bag . I can’t imagine my xiao ke ai being cruelly slaughtered for his pretty feather, so why I would have to subject another animal to a horror of suffering. F*ck the fashion, embrace the kindness.