Courtney Stodden participates in a striking PETA photo shoot in Hollywood, stripping down to a stringy black bikini before getting covered in a black substance resembling tar.
PETA’s Latest Vegan Leather Push
The 31-year-old media personality showcases her figure in the low-cut top paired with matching bottoms and clear heels. The campaign highlights the environmental and ethical issues tied to leather production.
Two days after the shoot, the final images launch on social media. Stodden appears nude against a white backdrop, her body dripping with the dark slime. Bold text reads, “Leather is a dirty business,” alongside a call to “Wear vegan.” A row of black leather jackets, also coated in tar, lines up behind her.
PETA shares on Instagram: “@courtneyastodden airs leather’s dirty laundry and reminds shoppers that every leather bag starts as someone’s skin. Drop the baggage and choose vegan leather instead.” Another post states, “The REAL cost of leather is on display in our new campaign as @courtneyastodden reminds shoppers that carrying animal skin is never a good look. Ditch leather and stick to vegan leather options instead!”
Campaign Video Details
A companion video features Stodden’s voiceover listing harmful elements in leather production: “Coal, formaldehyde, chromium, blood, feces, arsenic, fossil fuels, lime, sludge.” The footage connects leather to child labor, cancer risks, chemical pollution, deforestation, and methane emissions. Red lipstick accents her lips as the camera emphasizes her message.
Stodden posts a behind-the-scenes photo on her Instagram, captioning it: “Your jacket shouldn’t cost a life #crueltyfree @peta.”
Stodden’s Personal Background
Stodden first gained fame marrying Doug Hutchinson in 2011 at age 16, with parental consent. She now campaigns against underage marriages, which remain legal with permission in over half of U.S. states.
“I don’t want this to happen to anyone else, and it scares me,” she states. “We’re the hotbed for the dirty little secret, which are pedophiles marrying our children legally in the United States, so that’s why I’m speaking out.”
Her divorce from Hutchinson finalizes in 2020, followed by marriage to Jared Safier in 2024. She produces a Lifetime biopic, I Was a Child Bride: The Courtney Stodden Story, reflecting on her experiences. “I’m glad I did it, but boy, it’s been hard to watch it,” she shares. “It’s something I’ve lived through, and it’s the PG version… It’s the craziest story I’ve ever heard, and it’s my own.”
