Rihanna Under Fire From PETA for Wearing Feathered Outfit

Rihanna is known for her fierce fashions, but has recently come under fire from animal rights activists for wearing ostrich feathers during a recent public appearance -- view the outfit pictured at left.

RiRi has already been criticized for being too racy with her barely-there stage outfits, and after wearing an aqua-colored feathered top at the launch party for her new fragrance Reb'l Fleur in London a couple of weeks ago, officials at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) are lashing out at Rihanna's style choices, too.

PETA spokeswoman Sandra Smiley condemned Rihanna's look in Britain's Daily Star claiming, "Rihanna is flaunting stolen property, in this case feathers possibly plucked right off their rightful owners' backs. She has shown little regard for foxes, cows and reptiles, now she's adding birds to the list of species exploited for her dubious looks."

Smiley continued, "Feathers are often ripped off chickens, geese, ostriches and emus in live plucking. This can result in gaping wounds that are sewn up with a needle and thread without anesthetic."

And just to put one final nail in the coffin, the outspoken PETA official went so far as to liken Rihanna's brutal physical assault at the hands of then-boyfriend Chris Brown to her treatment of the bird that supplied her fashionable feathers. "We keep hoping that Rihanna, a victim of violence herself, will learn to open her heart and start empathizing with the suffering of others. That includes the animals who are beaten, gassed, electrocuted and poisoned to be turned into fashion accessories."