Tag: hippies

I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but vegans don’t have a very positive reputation. They are, unfortunately, still a heavily stereotyped group. Increasingly, it seems like unless someone already has a friend who is vegan, if they are introduced to someone who is, they immediately put them into a box before getting to know them.

Here are some of the most common vegan* stereotypes and my thoughts on them:

• Vegans are hippies. There are so many different types of vegans/vegetarians out there. As One Green Planet puts it, “There are vegans of all walks of life, with varied incomes, styles of dress, professions, and views. There are vegan ultra-athletes, politicians, actors and actresses, doctors, lawyers, writers, singers, and artists. Some are deeply involved with environmental causes, while others are not.” It’s irrational to lump us all together. I might not have anything in common with another vegan other than what we eat/don’t eat.

• Vegans are self-righteous. Just because we have an opinion on something that is different from yours does not mean that we are holier-than-thou. I believe it’s immoral to eat meat, and you believe it’s moral to eat meat. Why am I the one looked at as being self-righteous and not you?

• Vegans are judgmental. This is a very common one, and I think it’s the reason that a lot of people are put off when they find out someone is a vegan – they assume we are snobby and will judge them for eating meat. “Of course, it’s natural for carnists to ask why someone is vegan, but it’s hard to explain why you’re vegan without the other person feeling like you’re insulting them personally.”

• Vegans are just following a trend. Even if this were true, what’s the harm in it? Of all the dumb trends in the world, who cares if someone tries veganism because it’s “popular” at the time? It’s not like anything negative will come out of it. I’d say that eating veggies is a much better trend than eating tide pods, am I right?

• Vegans are health nuts—OR vegans are unhealthy/weak. Ironically, I’ve heard both of these perceptions. Either we’re obsessed with counting calories and working out, or we’re bony and frail and don’t get enough nutrients. As Daria Zeoli says, “You can be a healthy vegan or a junk food vegan, or somewhere in the middle. It takes all kinds.” But let’s keep in mind that either way, it’s none of your business.

• Vegans only eat salads. Here’s a fun fact—I barely like salads. And when I tell people that, they are SHOCKED. How can a vegan not like salad? Or, I’ve also heard, “How can a vegan not like [such and such] vegetable?” Ummm…I still have taste buds, and I still have preferences. I find it hard to believe that anyone out there is a fan of every single vegetable.

Now, this is not to say that all vegans stray from these stereotypes. Trust me, I know a few who tick off almost every single one of those boxes. But it’s unfair to assume anything about someone based solely off of what they decide to eat. That’s just so silly to me. Meat-eaters don’t have a stereotype associated with them, so why should vegans or vegetarians have them?

Regardless, let’s work to try and dispel these clichés and prove that our diets do not define us. After all, at least for me personally, there are a lot of other things I can be judged on—so don’t make it my food.

*These usually apply to do vegetarians too, unfortunately.