What Vegan-Feminism Means to Me
An inside look at why I chose this lifestyle and why it signifies everything I believe in.
I went vegan back in 2016. To read the story of what changed my mind and what led me this way, read my article, “Why I Became a Vegan-Feminist.”
As we’ve discussed in several other blog posts, veganism is a lifestyle. Not a diet, not a fad, not a moral superiority complex. Veganism is a moral obligation. To be vegan is the least we can do. To be vegan is the right thing to do.
I claimed to love animals all my life, even when my favorite meal was the “Baconator Jr.” from Wendy’s paired with a chocolate frosty and fries. Years later, I still love bacon on my cheeseburgers. Only this time, the bacon is made of tempeh, the burger is made of soy and pea protein, and the cheese is made from tofu.
Some people eat plant-based diets for their health or to better the environment. Sure, those are wonderful plus-sides to the lifestyle, but veganism is, at its core, a lifestyle to promote animal rights. I don’t care if you eat non-dairy ice cream for breakfast or are a raw frugivore. All I (and the nonhuman animals) care about is ending cruelty; you can be vegan any way you’d like.
After nearly a decade of being vegan, it has become second nature. I don’t have to think about it anymore. Reading ingredient labels, typing ‘vegan’ in the search bar when googling a new recipe, and making sure all of my skin and hair care products are certified as vegan and cruelty-free have become muscle memory. I know what labels to look for, what sneaky ingredients to avoid, and what companies share my morals.
Veganism, to me, like a lot of vegans, is a large part of who I am. Just as I am a natural blonde with blue eyes, veganism is in my nature and, essentially, my biology. If I were to revert to a carnist or even a vegetarian lifestyle, I wouldn’t be myself anymore. I’ve told my husband on several occasions that if I were even to mention ditching my ethical lifestyle, someone had either murdered me and stolen my identity, or I had completely lost my mind and needed to be institutionalized.
Following a cruelty-free lifestyle is as important to me as religion and culture are to others. Funny enough, many religions share my lifestyle. Some branches of Jainism, Buddhism, and Hinduism aim to end the suffering of animals as well.
On a more personal note, I know that being vegan doesn’t altogether remove my contribution to all animal suffering, but it minimizes it. I may not be able to save every animal, so I save every animal that I can. Making seemingly small and insignificant changes to my everyday life has only brought me more peace, happiness, and love. Veganism is not a typically convenient lifestyle, but convenience means nothing to me when animal lives are on the line.
