Why You Should Stop With the “Real Men Eat… Statements

“Real men eat meat.

It’s a phrase that many of us are totally over hearing,
myself included.

According to a new piece in the Daily Mail, “Psychologist
Margaret Thomas, from Earlham College, Indiana, conducted a four-part study to
understand how people perceive vegetarianism, a diet foregoing meat, and
veganism, a diet foregoing meat as well as other animal products including eggs
and dairy.

While the study found that vegetarian men are no longer seen
as less masculine, vegans are still considered “wimpy.

Very often, masculinity is connected to power and strength
in our society. By valuing meat eating as a masculine activity, we devalue not
only men who are vegan, but also the animals whose bodies are dominated and
then eaten by humans.

Equating masculinity with meat eating both offends many and celebrates
violence against animals.

The truth is simply that some people eat meat and some
don’t. Some people are vegan and some aren’t (yet).

But if we truly care about animals, the environment, and our
own health, we can all make the powerful decision to leave animals off the
menu.

Click here for
tips on making the transition to a healthy and compassionate vegan diet.