Ready Made Vegans

I did a tabling event recently for PETA handing out Go Vegan starter kit magazines with celebrities plastered on the cover and it ignited my need to call them out as they are not all vegan. The use of celebrities to sell us on a product or lifestyle (political, ethical, religious, dietary) choice is one that our culture readily embraces.

Take Ozzy Osbourne or Jessica Simpson as an example, two stars that became vegan but are better known for tearing off bat heads on stage dressed in all leather or starring in a reality show eating tuna questioning if it was chicken. Do you think they did it for it the right reasons? Publicists and the media do a great job of shining the spot light on the next new ready made celebrity living a compassionate, philanthropic, and environmentally friendly, cow hugging diet and are applauded by all for their change of heart. Only to find in the coming months that US weekly has a photo of them eating a steak at Mortons and are quoted saying I couldn't live without my hamburgers.

Who really cares about what these people do? They are self-centered, ego driven entertainers(if you can call them that) that will constantly do the next thing to gain publicity. They don’t really give a shit about animals or being vegan to begin with it. For them it's another photo op moment. A choice based on the wrong reasons and yet their stories and photos are used to sell you on the idea. This infuriates me because it’s more then just a fad, it is about a life long sustainable lifestyle. I take this very seriously because these people are the worst role models for those that are considering making the change as they have not had the lived experience. This is not about my personal standards or me trying to proclaim that I am a better vegan, it about really understanding what VEGAN means. And I can tell you what its not: It is not riding to red carpet events in huge gas guzzling SUVS and wearing $1,500 leather Manolos heels and a $15,000 Chanel silk dress and then stating that they sponser a rescued pig and eat veggie burgers. I commend the few vegans within Hollywood’s star culture that have made the choice and live it whole heartily but until animals rights activist Ellen DeGeneres stops trying to make another dollar off her Cover girl (a company that tests on animals) makeup campaigns, my respect for them is non existent. Its hypocrisy at its finest and I only hope that you are able to read between the lines and make decisions for yourself! Its called free will! We need to stop looking to these people as icons, end the false hero worship and look within. Start making choices that reflect that and not mirror those that make a half-ass attempt. I applaud those that are making the vegan transition but please seek advice from those of us that actually respect and live the lifestyle, not make a mockery of it.

P.S. Dear PETA, VEG NEWS, Farm Sanctuary and others... please do your research about who your choosing to represent the millions of animals next time and not the weekend, vegan yoga retreat celebrity.