Okay that's just sick.

Let the quality of the products speak for the company, not a publicity stunt. I purchase only organic/vegan beauty products already because of animal cruelty, but from companies that don't need bizarre stunts to move products. This silliness does not make we want to switch brands.

Even good causes have boundary lines . This is sick.

Sick, Sick, Sick.

Well, good for her! It's nice that someone out there has got the guts to do a stunt like this. Some may consider it sick, but this and worse happens to sharks on a daily basis.

Carol you call it stunt but the photo posted here looks very very scary ..

yeah, ok, call it sick, but it got you thinking, didn't it? Considering the fact that we all live in an information glut, it's only logical that environmentally-conscious companies like Lush have to go to more and more drastic measures to make people pay attention. Gross, yeah, but that's the point, isn't it?

It seems to me that this rather clearly demonstrates that the method is not that painful after all. If it's not very painful to a female human, I'm not convinced it is to a shark with a fraction of the size of a human brain. If one were trying to demonstrate that this method is so terrible, maybe it should actually be painful, rather than just look that way. Maybe therein lies an important lesson regarding the media's (and different 'animal rights' groups) portrayal of many issues in the world today...

Again, The shark is not your friend! not, not, not!~ The shark does not need human help. The shark will go or stay on the merits of fate, like the dinosaurs and early mammals – the shark is an animal known as the most brillant killer in our history, an animal developed way beyond the capacities of humans. We (I am human) are not anywhere near capable of affecting the course of such a species' course. We are evolving. The shark is there. no use hooking your stars to the shark species at this time, hook-hanging lady. the shark is the arrow, you are the target.
Signed ocean swimmer for life.,

This is again the horrible idea that shocking people helps. It's like thinking that a public display of the most terrible experiments on animals can increase people love for them. I think this is just sick. Love brings love, disgusting stuff can only bring horror and fuel maniacs.

*applause*

Good for her. I know a few people who do suspensions, it's great to see one being done for a great cause! I love the makeup, too. She looks like she really did great!

British people have really weird taste.

Sick is right... and with all the kids out there who just love to imitate what they see – we just don't need this in the media or in a store! Really, really bad taste!

Horrible display of a female, when I saw the photo I said to me, somebody is sick.

This madam is not worth looking at. It is a sad sight.

You all are joking right? This isn't sick in any way, it's a simple suspension, the piercing crowd have been doing it for ages, and cultures throughout history have performed the same way. Heck, just a little while ago they did a 'pyramid' of 7 people all hanging off of eachother.

It's not mainstream, sure, but it's hardly anything to get excited about either. It's certainly not 'sick'.

In point of fact, from suspension enthusiasts, and doctors, it gives an endorphin rush much like skydiving, and aside from the initial piercing (which feels like getting any other piercing) doesn't hurt. It's also not nearly as dangerous as it appears. The human body is remarkably resiliant, and it's not like just crammed the hooks into her without care for where and how they were put in. The professionals (and yes, they really are), know what they are doing. At worst, one or both of them would have torn through the skin and she'd have a few stitches and possibly two tiny scars. As stated, she's done this more than 60 times.

If you are actually concerned by the stunt, maybe you should step back and think a bit instead of reacting.

I know a lot of people that do this stuff... It's an underground practice and I think it's great that this woman along with the company is trying (obviously it will take a long time) to inform people of the TORTURE that is going on with shark hunting. It's not a question of evolution. Sharks, like wolves, provide a balance in the oceans by killing the sick and weak. If they go extinct, don't believe that we, humans, will not in time. Obviously it's not just the shark that comes to play here, but all our animals. Our ecosystem is balanced very specifically and as humans we must be more responsible to make sure it remains so.

Absurd. This sort of thing never has and never will have any effect on my purchasing habits.

I don't know if people are aware, but sharks aren't human. Furthermore, sharks are hunters as well. Why would I feel sympathy that they are hunted? Why not pull a publicity stunt for a cause that matters – something humanitarian perhaps? Millions of people around the world are suffering from violence and hunger and disease, and she's worried about the sharks?

The thing about animal rights activists is that they have more than enough of the money and resources they need to live well as a human being, and they've got an excess of spare time to pursue little 'hobbies' like this. And they expect the rest of the world to care? There are much more pressing concerns in the world, that I take this sort of thing to be no less than insulting.

I take it back though, the fact that this sort of thing never affects my purchasing habits. Anyone know where I can get some shark fin soap?

While the PR stunt itself is bullshit (because as a certain anonymous above pointed out, the message has no value, it's what's inside the products that matters) I do think this may have been a very effective message. I hope it made some people realize what we are doing.

I hope it shocked everyone who saw it in person and everyone who reads about it. Namby-pamby whiners need a wake up call. Take a good look people – this is a miniscule sacrifice compared to what goes into your makeup/food/products containing shark.
Humans are newcomers to this planet compared to the Shark who’ve lasted on earth since the dinosaurs – until now, – until the worst animal of all came along – Man!
People who knowingly use shark products yet in turn call this picture (and the actions behind it) *Sick* – are nothing but hypocrites.
Sick?
No, it's the truth.
What you see in the mirror after using shark products?
Now THAT'S sick.

You can promote proper treatment to sharks, but this is crossing the line (by far) of advertising. Shame on Lush for using such a disgusting and cruel advertisment. this makes Lush as bad as those shark hunters!

'DJ'

Pick up a damn newspaper. We have driven an unforgivable number of shark species to the brink of extinction because of wasteful, unregulated, and immoral fishing and over exploitative actions.

If we can do this to a woman, it is any wonder that we do what we do to sharks?

If we can do this to a woman, is it any wonder that we do what we do to sharks?

This just goes to show how stupid people really are.
You aplaud them for what they are doing to prevent cruelty to sharks, but it is ok for doctors to go on killing the unborn.
We could say thae same thing. Well it the people who hunt thes sharks, it's their choice to do what they want.
We get upset over the treatment of animals more than precious human life.
This is the sick world we live in.

DJ....you would do well to be better informed about sharks.... and we are quite able to affect the course of sharks... try to find the film "SHARKWATER" now a days we use GOOGLE (have you ever heard of it? ) and have a good look at what is happening ..... Suspensions though are perversion.....

It just goes to show how parochial and insular Americans are. This performance is no different from carrying the kavadi at the Hindu festival of Thaipusam. In fact, there's even less blood involved than the self-flagellation of Shiite Muslims at Muharram; or the practice of flagellants in some Catholic communities in Europe, Mexico and the Philippines (see Wikipedia entry on "flagellants" and the section therein on "Modern flagellants").

Thats my fantasy to have a girl hanging from hooks when i get back to my bedroom from a hard days work, i cant believe i missed it but then Regent street is a little far from Barking.

I can understand people's squeamishness, but I can't agree with those heartless, nature-hating folks who think this brave woman's protest is meaningless or sick. I'm a lifelong scuba diver, and have learned to love sharks. I've seen the horrors that humans inflict on them (often just for fun). The revulsion you're feeling over what this woman did to herself out of compassion for these lovely animals is exactly what she was trying to accomplish...to awaken you–if only momentarily–from your media-deadened existence, and your nature deficit disorder.

dj, you write:

"The shark is not your friend! not, not, not!~ The shark does not need human help...We (I am human) are not anywhere near capable of affecting the course of such a species’ course. We are evolving. The shark is there"

For some reason your trying to act like your gona tell us something intelligent but you have the "logic" of 10 year old on a school play ground. Let me guess, enviromentalists are all "tree huggers" and global warming isn't happening, right? If we're evolving, I'm afraid your left behind cause species preservation seems like to deep of a concept for a simpleton like you. Do you realize because WE CAN maintain biological diversity on our small planet WE SHOULD- that would be part of our "evolution". Imbasols like yourself think its to big of "a hassle" so I guess the only evolution happening is the dumbing down of America and the World by your mentality. Thanks for the enlightenment you hack.

Carol,
You've really captured this scene for me. I'm not in agreement with these publicity stunts but you've really got me thinking about the plight of those poor sharks. Bravo Carol!

The main purpose of advertising is to effect change, however this display effected horror and bewilderment. I guess the marketing company thought they could pull off the greatest portrayal of a martyr but they missed that mark. Not only is this a bizarre attempt, it is sinful... This definitely attracts attention, but is it the desired attention? I'm not so sure. Be careful when desperate or eager for publicity not to attract the wrong type.

What, did nobody reading this ever slide a straight-pin under the first layer of their skin, when they were kids? Body suspension operates under similar principles.

I do have to laugh when I see comments like 'horrible display of a female'. Not of a woman. Not of an experienced performance artist. A female. Way to objectify and denigrate her.

Although I find the picture to be sickening, I have to admit– that's one hell of a way of grabbing the audience's attention. I definitely think it would have made more sense if there were people down below giving out fliers about the abuse sharks go through with. Passerbyers most likely assumed it was just a daredevil; not an activist.

its obvious that theres no hype left in the world anymore.

For those who keep saying that there was a point in her suspension, I think they are right. The point was to actually make people feel sick to their stomache so that they can assoicate that terrible feeling to sharks being killed. What a cheap way of getting people attention. Why not educate people in a healthy way? I do not know why those who feel for sharks or other animals do not use an approach that would work with humans.

i bet she enjoyed it, there a few more psychos on this planet

LOL.. this and worse is done to sharks on a daily basis??? you people need a life and to find a good cause to complain about. how about darfur, georgia or tibet? anything but worrying about, or giving money to some shark charity.

Sorry.. I didn't get the point !! why not just show us real pictures of real sharks stuck in real nets with real hooks in them.. rather than this female specimen... wouldn't that be rather more to the point!!?..

Throw her back she's to small to keep!

They'll always be an England.

I guess she was just "hanging around" !

It seems to me that this rather clearly demonstrates that the method is not so painful after all. If it’s not really that painful to a female human, I’m not convinced that it is to a shark with a fraction the size of a human brain. If one were trying to demonstrate that this method is so incredibly terrible, maybe it should actually be painful, rather than just look that way. Maybe therein lies an important lesson regarding the media’s (and different ‘animal rights’ groups') portrayal of many issues in the world today…

To all the nay-sayers – you continue to miss the point entirely. A shark returned to the sea after its fin has been cut off because it serves as some delicacy or "medicine" is what is truly sick. And yes, since humans are killing not only the shark, but all of the oceans species, they all need our help or we will live in a strange new world with an eerie emptiness in the seas.

Great stunt for a worthless cause.Pple will never stop killing sharks not even if alice kill her self.There are better ways to sell a new product!

Whilst I would normally think that this kind of performance pushes public decency too far, in a way, I'm pleased this went ahead.

I often think with issues like shark hunting, it's too easy for people to simply not think about it or to not understand quite how horrific it is. This forces them to think about a problem in the world that otherwise they'd ignore and someone else to solve.

Usually I'm not a huge animals-rights type person, I'm much more on the fence, but I do appreciate people bringing often unheard issues to people's attentions.

Sharks ??? Whats about Chicken, Turkey, Goat etc etc etc Why just Sharks???

Good for her. To those thinking this is sick try watching how fins are obtained for soup.

Even if it is sick ... it's got us talking about it. Aim achieved.

Okay folks,
It happens quite regularly:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thaipusam

Cheers.

Sad when our world has to resort to such tactics in order to draw attention to something. Every person has his/her own motive for doing the things they do. What's happening to this world? Is it Money? Attention? Care-less hearts? Calloused hearts? I wonder if anyone walked away thinking about the sharks or applause for a masochistic girl? ... Sad.

The suspension display is no different really from many other forms of body modification, and it is not particularly painful. Allice has been part of the piercing and tattoo scene for many years and is an accomplished professional. This however was a pretty graphic display and got more attention than most other forms of 'sideshow' type entertainment. I don't think that the organisers of the highly commentable "anti-sharkfin" protest could have done a better job than they have with this personal contribution from a truly lovely lass.

As someone who has participated in suspension, I can assure you that it is not as painless as it may look in the pictures of Alice. Yes, you are an endorphine kick and the pain does tend to come and go, but there is absolutely pain involved for almost everyone who suspends.

The point here is not to move product – it is to bring your attention to a serious issue of needlessly harming and/or killing sharks. I am not a vegan/vegetarian, nor am I one of those hippie types, but what is being done to sharks in this case is absolutely wrong. It's like someone snaring you within a trap, cutting off your leg, and then dumping you back out onto the street. You are now injured and permanently handicapped when it comes to navigation & movement. Not cool.

For Alice to do something like this, to get attention paid to a worthy cause, is commendable. Rather than calling her actions sick – think about the even sicker actions of the fishermen who harvest these shark body parts.

Why sharks? PETA covers the cute, fwuffy aminals... someone has to care about the others... like sharks.

Thanks for raising this matter so visually into the public consciousness. Not so long ago I made a film for Discovery about shark finning. We came across a fin processing factory in Taiwan, just one of many in the Far East, and were confronted an area the size of two football pitches full of trestle tables drying out shark fins.

The scale of the horror and disgrace of what is happening at sea is hidden from us and unless we do something NOW to halt this marine genocide we will have to face the consequences of this ecological holocaust. PLEASE do not pretend it is not happening and it does not concern you, we are all connected to the Ocean and if so called "sick stunts" are going to wake us up to act and save these vital animals for our existence then so be it. Well done Alice and all at LUSH for being brave enough to put your principles on the line.

Well done! i am sick of the cruelty that we as humans do to the animals,mammals,the planet and lets not forget to each other.I am glad of people like this lady there are many of us that care and support bless you

1 man killed by sharks in 2007.
100,000,000 million sharks a year killed by man.
These species face extinction at the hands of man within a decade largely because of Shark Fin Soup.
To hunt a species to extinction is simply ridiculous, particularly if that species is an apex predator in the planet's most important eco system. The eco system that gives us 70% of our oxygen.

Lush and Sea Shepherd ACT whilst many others sit at home and do nothing. Alice's action at Lush caught the eyes of the world and focused them on to this global problem.

Just asking nicely isn't going to stop our oceans being destroyed.

Steve Roest
UK Director
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society

Although I question the use of a big company using people in such a manner I definitely say hat off to her.That is what you mean when you stand up for your beliefs.Unfortunately the message wont make much of a difference where it should be-in Chnia and its Shark Fin eating Volk.People put needles under the skin for cosmetic purposes so this action at least has a good cause on its side.AND, for DJ abd his comment I can only add that i am not so sure that we are evolving.If we were maybe we would not be killing each other and we wouldnt have Terrorist blowing up planes for political purposes.If thats evolution then I prefer the shark type.STOP KILLING ALL LIVING CREATURES INHUMANELY.

Well done to Alice and those that raised awareness in to the exceptionally cruel shark fin industry. Most people have no idea that sharks are caught, fins cut off and the whilst still alive the rest of the shark is thrown back over board to sink to the bottom of the sea and slowly die, unable to move. The shock, anger, disgust or any other emotion raised should be directed at restaurants and retailers who sell shark fin soup and products. They are the ones who seek profit from causing unneccesary pain to other highly developed intelligent living creatures. Its about time that humans begin to seriously consider our role as guardians of this planet and take action to stop suffering of all sorts- be it against animal or humans.

Also, well done to CNN for picking up on this story, Im sure a lot more reports could be done in to attrocities committed against animals for the sake of human vanity- ie Canadian culling of 300,000 newborn seals for fur coats, goose fra gra etc.

Geeeeeeeeeeez.
She did it for a good cause, and most of you are just calling it 'sick'.
Atleast she's actually doing something for a good cause.