Loved this article. I've been vegan for over 15 years now (well, first two years vegetarian btw). "Once we apply that emotional intelligence to understanding human oppression over animals, we can map that same injustice onto other structures like patriarchy, racism, and environmental destruction. Soon, those myths, too, begin to crumble like a poorly made vegan handbag." awesome
Hi, Mars—thanks for reading. Delighted you picked out my favorite line in the essay. 🤣 Way to go on your lifestyle change. What inspired your move away from eating animals?
“So if the plate in front of me looks different than yours, don’t read that as a judgment.” Love this! I’ve been vegetarian for over three decades, and though I have strong convictions, I always strove to not be dogmatic or judgmental about it. But I’m shocked at how many people just assume that I’m judging them or about to start proselytizing just because I skip the meat. I love this description about your process and experience, and I agree with what you’ve said about what ultimately influences others.
Isn’t it wild? I get so many responses as if I’m about to launch into a tirade at them, and I think, oh geez. What lousy vegans have you met?? Thrilled this resonates with you. Thank you so much for reading!
For me, I aim to welcome in people to the movement by showing them how much they already agree with me. If I can move someone to give up dairy—for whatever of the many reasons—then that’s my goal. I just don’t find shaming folks into changing behavior to be an effective tactic at large.
Thanks for this bold look at how we approach influence and our dinner plates... your passion and insights are so compelling and I'm glad you're finding ways to share without the smug, it's very effective. xo
I’m blushing knowing it’s working!! I only aim to share my passion, so I’m delighted to hear my new, less irritating strategy is as effective as I hoped it would be. 🤣
I enjoyed reading this! I'm not vegan or vegetarian. However, over the last year I have been trying to make informed purchasing choices to become cruelty-free as much as possible in my life. It's been eye-opening, just researching into brands that are cruelty-free vs not. I have been thinking a bit more about meat consumption after reading a book for my book club (Tender is the Flesh) and while I am personally not yet convinced that I'll give up meat, it's definitely something to ponder over.
Oh, I'm so glad you enjoyed reading and that you're on your own cruelty-free journey -- congrats!! I don't know Tender is the Flesh, so I'm adding it to my reading list as well. Always available to chat if you're interested in pondering aloud... :)
I know that people who are vegans would never wear leather. I was just wondering what you wear instead? Is it fake leather? I'm just asking because I had a jacket that had fake leather as well as fabric, and after about 3 or 4 years, the fake leather began to disintegrate. It came off in tiny little particles like confetti pieces. That can't have been good for the environment. I just mention this because as an alternative for leather, it doesn't hold up. Although, no animal died to make fake leather, it is still a pretty rotten fashion choice, I'd say.
Great question, Rose, and thanks for reading! I have sadly owned a couple of those disintegrating jackets. Now I’ve got a great moto jacket in cotton, one in a fake suede (which is still some sort of plastic as a polyester, but much more durable and not something I wash, so it’s not sloughing microplastics in the water), and one that’s simply more durable. Higher end brands do make better materials, and now there are high end alternatives like pineapple, apple, cactus, and mushroom fabrics for shoes and bags and everything else. I’ve seen them at vegan fashion expos—pretty cool! I just don’t need to make an investment in a piece like that since I have everything I need right now. But I dream of the day I can find a pair of black vegan boots I can call my own…
This felt so important: "I wasn’t broken for how deeply I felt; the problem lay in Judeo-Christian and Humanist frameworks of human supremacy." What a thoughtful reflection on this topic. I always go back and forth about how much to share my own dietary choices with others and this helped refine my feelings around it.
Courtney, I’m delighted I could help you articulate your feelings on this very sensitive topic. Many people want to open up about but feel they’ve got a grenade on their hands, and I hope to open up a much more inclusive and understanding conversation. Happy to chat about it any time!
Really interesting and thoughtful article, Gia! I’ve only ever gone full vegetarian for a few months at a time, as I’ve found the plant based alternatives get too expensive for my budget, and I’m not very creative when it comes to meal ideas. I really like the idea of fully committing to it for health reasons, but I just can’t seem to nail the landing! I was actually curious about your thoughts on some of the cooler non-animal material ideas (mushroom leather, plant-based plastics, etc,)? My understanding is that generally the material properties aren’t quite there yet to replace the real deal, even if the costs are lower for both production and the environment. I’m very interested in mycelium based products and I hope they can figure out the kinks soon!
Oh, geez! My original response didn’t post for some reason!
Thank you so much for reading!! Yes—I’ve seen several mushroom jackets that are pretty dang cool. At the last vegan fashion expo I attended, they had apple, cactus, and pineapple leather boots. I don’t know the processing footprint (leather tanning is a very toxic process, too), but I imagine it’s less intensive. I also don’t know about the wear or end of life, but there seems to be a bit more curiosity there. I’ve also interviewed several companies working to recycle plastics into more industrial products (think post-consumer siding) for the plastics we can’t kick (wet foods). They’re also still expensive, which makes adoption prohibitive. So I guess this is my next task—to acquire one of these and let you know how it wears!!
Very cool! Thanks for the reply, Gia! Love learning about these novel ideas and materials (vegan fashion expos must be full of all kinds of neat things!). Can't wait to see your next article on this kind of stuff, it's right up my alley!
Loved this article. I've been vegan for over 15 years now (well, first two years vegetarian btw). "Once we apply that emotional intelligence to understanding human oppression over animals, we can map that same injustice onto other structures like patriarchy, racism, and environmental destruction. Soon, those myths, too, begin to crumble like a poorly made vegan handbag." awesome
Hi, Mars—thanks for reading. Delighted you picked out my favorite line in the essay. 🤣 Way to go on your lifestyle change. What inspired your move away from eating animals?
No sorry I’m still vegan
Can’t eat meat anymore 😆 smelly and can’t stand the industry
Right? The smell!!!
“So if the plate in front of me looks different than yours, don’t read that as a judgment.” Love this! I’ve been vegetarian for over three decades, and though I have strong convictions, I always strove to not be dogmatic or judgmental about it. But I’m shocked at how many people just assume that I’m judging them or about to start proselytizing just because I skip the meat. I love this description about your process and experience, and I agree with what you’ve said about what ultimately influences others.
Isn’t it wild? I get so many responses as if I’m about to launch into a tirade at them, and I think, oh geez. What lousy vegans have you met?? Thrilled this resonates with you. Thank you so much for reading!
You kill with Cheese a Billion of Babies taking from their Mothers.
You are cruel with no Love left. Fascism starts with the abuse of the Weakest. Congrats. But don’t seek for Grace.
For me, I aim to welcome in people to the movement by showing them how much they already agree with me. If I can move someone to give up dairy—for whatever of the many reasons—then that’s my goal. I just don’t find shaming folks into changing behavior to be an effective tactic at large.
Thanks for this bold look at how we approach influence and our dinner plates... your passion and insights are so compelling and I'm glad you're finding ways to share without the smug, it's very effective. xo
I’m blushing knowing it’s working!! I only aim to share my passion, so I’m delighted to hear my new, less irritating strategy is as effective as I hoped it would be. 🤣
I enjoyed reading this! I'm not vegan or vegetarian. However, over the last year I have been trying to make informed purchasing choices to become cruelty-free as much as possible in my life. It's been eye-opening, just researching into brands that are cruelty-free vs not. I have been thinking a bit more about meat consumption after reading a book for my book club (Tender is the Flesh) and while I am personally not yet convinced that I'll give up meat, it's definitely something to ponder over.
Oh, I'm so glad you enjoyed reading and that you're on your own cruelty-free journey -- congrats!! I don't know Tender is the Flesh, so I'm adding it to my reading list as well. Always available to chat if you're interested in pondering aloud... :)
I know that people who are vegans would never wear leather. I was just wondering what you wear instead? Is it fake leather? I'm just asking because I had a jacket that had fake leather as well as fabric, and after about 3 or 4 years, the fake leather began to disintegrate. It came off in tiny little particles like confetti pieces. That can't have been good for the environment. I just mention this because as an alternative for leather, it doesn't hold up. Although, no animal died to make fake leather, it is still a pretty rotten fashion choice, I'd say.
Great question, Rose, and thanks for reading! I have sadly owned a couple of those disintegrating jackets. Now I’ve got a great moto jacket in cotton, one in a fake suede (which is still some sort of plastic as a polyester, but much more durable and not something I wash, so it’s not sloughing microplastics in the water), and one that’s simply more durable. Higher end brands do make better materials, and now there are high end alternatives like pineapple, apple, cactus, and mushroom fabrics for shoes and bags and everything else. I’ve seen them at vegan fashion expos—pretty cool! I just don’t need to make an investment in a piece like that since I have everything I need right now. But I dream of the day I can find a pair of black vegan boots I can call my own…
This felt so important: "I wasn’t broken for how deeply I felt; the problem lay in Judeo-Christian and Humanist frameworks of human supremacy." What a thoughtful reflection on this topic. I always go back and forth about how much to share my own dietary choices with others and this helped refine my feelings around it.
Courtney, I’m delighted I could help you articulate your feelings on this very sensitive topic. Many people want to open up about but feel they’ve got a grenade on their hands, and I hope to open up a much more inclusive and understanding conversation. Happy to chat about it any time!
Yes! The more we talk about it with curiosity, the more we can engage in productive conversation. I really appreciate that. 💕
I really enjoyed this essay! Thank you for sharing this perspective. It's inspiring.
Thank you so much for reading! I’m thrilled it inspired you. The more joy and compassion we share, the better world we will create!
Really interesting and thoughtful article, Gia! I’ve only ever gone full vegetarian for a few months at a time, as I’ve found the plant based alternatives get too expensive for my budget, and I’m not very creative when it comes to meal ideas. I really like the idea of fully committing to it for health reasons, but I just can’t seem to nail the landing! I was actually curious about your thoughts on some of the cooler non-animal material ideas (mushroom leather, plant-based plastics, etc,)? My understanding is that generally the material properties aren’t quite there yet to replace the real deal, even if the costs are lower for both production and the environment. I’m very interested in mycelium based products and I hope they can figure out the kinks soon!
Oh, geez! My original response didn’t post for some reason!
Thank you so much for reading!! Yes—I’ve seen several mushroom jackets that are pretty dang cool. At the last vegan fashion expo I attended, they had apple, cactus, and pineapple leather boots. I don’t know the processing footprint (leather tanning is a very toxic process, too), but I imagine it’s less intensive. I also don’t know about the wear or end of life, but there seems to be a bit more curiosity there. I’ve also interviewed several companies working to recycle plastics into more industrial products (think post-consumer siding) for the plastics we can’t kick (wet foods). They’re also still expensive, which makes adoption prohibitive. So I guess this is my next task—to acquire one of these and let you know how it wears!!
Very cool! Thanks for the reply, Gia! Love learning about these novel ideas and materials (vegan fashion expos must be full of all kinds of neat things!). Can't wait to see your next article on this kind of stuff, it's right up my alley!