Did You Hear the One About the Vegan?
November 3, 2010 · 12 comments
This guest post from Cheryl Breuer is part of the guest posts series at Lisa’s Food on the Move. When Cheryl approached me about a post on stereotypes of vegans, I was excited. As a former vegan, and as a blogger with many vegan readers, I thought this would be a great way to advocate for vegan lifestyles. Cheryl is the blogger behind Peculiar Girl, a blog about self-awareness, social conscience, and living an unconventional life.
Interested in contributing a guest post? Check out the details here.
Vegans are weaklings. Everyone knows that, right? We are a pale, frail, and angry bunch, secretly longing for a bite of bloody steak and a thick pat of butter.
Ah, the vegan stereotype. It has many variations… none of them positive. You can Google “vegan stereotypes” and see what I mean. You’ll see words like self-righteous, preachy, anemic, militant, and even smelly. Smelly?
Part of me understands it. After all, being a vegan is unconventional. And unfortunately, people who are outside of the mainstream often unwittingly open the door to ridicule, exclusion, and even hatred.
I’ve never met a preachy vegan, or an angry vegan, and certainly not a smelly vegan. And to my knowledge, no one has ever accused me of being any of these things.
I suppose you could say that I’m pale, but it’s not because I’m vegan. I’m Caucasian and I burn easily, so I tend to stay out of the sun. I’d be just as fair-skinned if I started eating meat. Forgive me for wanting to avoid skin cancer.
My choices to become a vegetarian, and later vegan, were extremely personal ones. I did not choose this lifestyle to make a statement, or to judge the choices of others. I do wish more people would think about where the food on their plates comes from, but I hope to inspire change by setting a positive example of veganism, not by screaming at someone for eating a cheeseburger.
I’m sure there are some crazy vegans out there, maybe even some smelly ones. But why are they the only ones that people remember? Maybe it’s because there just aren’t enough of us yet. Once people have more vegan and vegetarian friends and family, they’ll have something to reference other than the ridiculous caricatures portrayed in the media.
I believe in living simply, and the vegan diet is about as simple as it gets—mainly vegetables, fruit, grains, nuts, and legumes. I don’t like the idea of using animals as a food source, so I choose not to. I am in excellent health. My energy level has never been higher, and I almost never get sick.
So why does this make me the target of jokes? I’m still not sure, but I hope by writing and talking about veganism in a positive way, I can help put those negative stereotypes to rest, once and for all.
Have you heard of or dealt with vegan stereotypes, or other stereotypes related to diet?
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{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
It's nice to hear a voice of reason, and I certainly respect your choice. I once tried eliminating red meat and pork from my diet, purely for health, and not political, reasons. I too experienced raised eyebrows and pressure from others. In the end this diet did not help the health issue I was experiencing. It in fact made it worse, so I after a few months I resumed eating red meat and pork and my health improved.
I personally have never experienced any kind of intolerance or confrontation from anyone in the vegan/vegetarian community, although I've heard anecdotal stories of it from others. Food and dietary choices are, for the most part, very personal choices, although many of the world's major religions do include certain dietary limits. My philosophy is live and let live. If you choose not to eat meat, or sugar, or dairy products, I'll respect your choice, as long as you respect mine.
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Thanks, Gayle, for such an insightful comment. One diet can't possibly work for everyone, so of course I respect your choice. I'm sorry you experienced, as you say, the "raised eyebrows" and pressure from others. It's a strange phenomenon, no? Sometimes I wish I were a more judgmental person, so I could raise my eyebrows and pressure people in the grocery store buying a whole cartful of processed junk. But I don't, because it's their choice. Thanks for reading my post!
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Even my parents, whom I love and adore and are very supportive of me, sometimes wrinkle their noses or think that I'm really missing out by the way I eat.
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I know what you mean, Katie. I try to explain to people that my tastes have changed over the years and the things I thought I couldn't live without (cheese, for example) now don't even seem like food to me and that I actually crave fresh, whole foods instead, but people rarely believe me. Oh, well. To each his own, I guess.
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What a wonderful post about veganism…after traveling with my mom this past week who decided to eat the way I do, she realized for the first time that a vegan diet is both filling and delicious…something she may not have ever believed in the past. It is wonderful to influence others without having to be preachy.
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Wow, Clairedille. I'm touched by your comment. How cool that your mom changed her attitude! I'll be writing about veganism more on my blog and I welcome your feedback. Thanks again!
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Cheryl, Thank you for sharing. I have never embraced a full vegan diet, but I have received a few questionable glances and rude comments in regards to my vegetarianism. It always surprises me to hear what people will say when they are unfamiliar with a certain belief or lifestyle decision. I've learned to embrace myself and my decisions with joy, and I hope that the people around me will see the positivity it brings to me life.
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Monet, it sounds like you and I have similar attitudes. Vegans and vegetarians are usually portrayed as such negative characters on TV and in movies. I hope that people like you and me can help change the perception. Thanks for reading my post!
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Isn't it amazing and horrible how judgmental people can be sometimes? I remember in college – when I was vegan – someone threw cheese all over my plate of food as a joke, and I was so pissed off. I don't eat meat, but I don't give people a hard time if they do.
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How mean! My husband and I get teased a lot in certain groups, and the teasers say "it's just a joke," but I see it as a form of bullying. Thanks again for the opportunity to post here. Keep up the good work!
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I know. I feel like there's often even just a little bit of truth to jokes like that, especially since I remember what was said, and that was about ten years ago!
Thanks so much for your post, and your compliments.
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