As global content manager at Mercy For Animals, I focus exclusively on social media. My job is writing blog posts, creating content, setting social media strategy for the entire organization, and finding inspiration from vegans all over the world.
And recently, I came across a real treasure: the Instagram account @Chiaralascura. As someone who has long fought the stereotype that “vegans are all skinny people who like yoga” (I even wrote about it not once, not twice, but three times), I was comforted to see that others felt similarly and were highlighting people who didn’t fit this mold.
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Artist Chiara Meloni has been working on a social media campaign on this topic and I am so here for it. She writes:
Vegans come in all shapes and sizes will be a series of illustrated portraits. I am starting with vegan people I love, admire and follow, but I want to draw more after that. If you want me to draw you just send me a dm. Marginalized folks who don’t fit in the mainstream vegan stereotype will have the priority.
So without further ado, here are Chiara’s amazing illustrations of real-life vegans fighting for animal rights.
1. Sofia Righetti
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“@sofia_righetti is one of the amazing people I know because of my job. She is a vegan activist, musician, philosopher, tedx speaker, athlete and thanks to her I am learning a lot about ableism and disabilities issues. Follow her!”
2. Edyn Nicole Jacks and Joelle, Founders of The Vegan Chub Club Podcast
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“@edynjacks and @thebopovegan are the hosts of a new podcast that is already one of my favourites: @theveganchubclub. Follow them!”
3. Loi MacAlpine-Smith
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“In this one my beloved @lorimacsmif is wearing my Seitanist top.”
4. Andy Tabar
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“Andy is the co-host of @thebeardedvegans, my favourite vegan podcast, and the owner of @compassionco that makes very cool vegan merch. He speaks a lot about fat shaming in the vegan community and also about vegan events, news and food. Follow his brand and listen to the podcast.”
5. Phoebe
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“@fatvegfemme is an activist and artist. Their art is about fat positivity, disability and more. Go follow them!”
These illustrations mark the beginning of her series, and I personally cannot wait to see who she draws next.
When I wrote about my own experience of fat shaming in the vegan community, I received an outpouring of love. The vegan community is based on kindness. Don’t get me wrong—body shaming is a real issue in our community, but I believe it is done out of ignorance, not hate. This experience has reminded me that most vegans live as we do because we strive to do better. We all have a responsibility to call out ignorance or bigotry where we see it, especially in the animal rights movement. We are a community of compassionate people, and compassion should never be weakened by exclusion.
We can do more for animals when we support one another. Follow Chiara Meloni on Instagram and Facebook and check out her website here. You can also help by supporting her work here.
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