The poster, which PETA says was put up at just two metro rail stations in the US capital, features Michelle Obama, talk-show hosts Oprah Winfrey and Tyra Banks and country singer Carrie Underwood under the headline “Fur-free and Fabulous.”
“We did not consent to it,” said Semonti Stephens, a spokeswoman for the first lady.
Stephens confirmed that Michelle Obama did not wear fur, but was unaware whether she had seen the poster.
A White House official said the White House had contacted PETA, or People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, about the poster.
But PETA, known for its attention-grabbing campaigns, did not appear to be backing down.
Its president, Ingrid Newkirk, said in a statement her US-based organization had not asked the White House to fund or promote the campaign, “as they can’t do such things.”
But she said that Michelle Obama has issued a statement indicating that she doesn’t wear fur, “and the world should know that in PETA’s eyes, that makes her pretty fabulous,” she said.
A PETA poster promoting vegetarianism was banned in Britain last year for wrongly implying that eating meat caused swine flu.
