NYT- Using women's bodies to advertise a veg*n lifestyle
Posted by foofie81 on Mar 28, 2008 · Member since Jul 2007 · 577 posts
I know a while back someone posted something about the vegan stripclub in Portland. Here is a little followup article about it that discusses the issue of how organizations (ahem PETA) use women's bodies to advertise for a veg*n agenda:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/27/fashion/27vegan.html?_r=1&ref=style&oref=slogin
My dad sent me this article in my e-mail, I hadn't really given much thought to the strip club I'd just heard it talked about on here, but I'm not sure that I support the idea. I thought it was interesting though that they quoted people like Isa who obviously hold some influence in the vegan community. I was also fairly shocked at the group that calls themselves the "vegan vixens" I think that I've gotten plenty of people to think about what they eat, including a few guy pals, and I didn't have to wear my underwear to do it 8-)
my point is, I basically agree with what most people quoted in the article stated, there's no need to use women's bodies in order to push the idea of a vegan diet. Personally I'd feel like that would go against a lot of reasons why I went vegan in the first place.
“We’ve gotten a lot of men eating vegetarian, if not vegan.” - Sky Valencia from Vegan Vixens
I have a really hard time believing that men are going veg right and left just because they see naked girls in PETA adds and other such nonsense. Like, "Well, I used to eat meat until I saw that vegan model's huge breasts in that PETA ad. I'll never eat meat again! ;)b" ???
And even if such things were effective, they miss the point entirely. I am glad that Isa Moskowitz and Bob Torres were quoted in the article as having more reasonable points of view on the issue.
PETA, I shake my angry fist at you. >:(
This is irritating. Yeah sex sells, but I feel that it makes veganism seem so shallow...
This reminds me of the other day when I was checking out Peta's sexiest vegetarian contest. I was interesting in seeing who the vegetarian community had chosen. I was hoping it would be some cool, kick-ass chic....but no, the winner was a very skinny blond in a bikini...typical...I mean, she is very cute, but I was hoping the vegan community would have more discerning eclectic taste in women.
This is irritating. Yeah sex sells, but I feel that it makes veganism seem so shallow...
I feel the same way. One way the whole peta sex sells argument falls apart is that, and I'm making an assumption, people who actually are persuaded to go vegan by looking at the attractive women are poor representations of veganism. As the article points out there very few vegans in the United States. When people do go vegan because they saw Alicia Silverstone naked next to a swimming pool in a commercial they have no real explanation for why they went vegan. Most people probably don't know someone who is vegan and if they meet one ask, "why did you decide to be vegan?" Is that person going to reply, "because I saw an attractive woman who was a vegan and it inspired me to be a vegan as well?" Now the person immediately applies that comment to all vegans since they have no experience with the vegan lifestyle. And it just boggles my mind as to how anyone could think that is progress.
In addition, it all just serves as another example of our misogynistic culture. If you feel emasculated because you can't eat meat as a vegan, don't worry you can still treat women like meat and regain your masculinity that way.
In addition, it all just serves as another example of our misogynistic culture. If you feel emasculated because you can't eat meat as a vegan, don't worry you can still treat women like meat and regain your masculinity that way.
Well said, foofie!
In addition, it all just serves as another example of our misogynistic culture. If you feel emasculated because you can't eat meat as a vegan, don't worry you can still treat women like meat and regain your masculinity that way.
Touché. ;)b
In addition, it all just serves as another example of our misogynistic culture. If you feel emasculated because you can't eat meat as a vegan, don't worry you can still treat women like meat and regain your masculinity that way.
I just wrote a paper for my women's studies class about this EXACT problem. humph.
If they're going to jump on the bandwagon of objectfiying and reducing women to merely their looks and bodies, then they should at least do the same with men and show fit, attractive, healthy looking, gorgeous men. Objectify and minimalize equally I say! ;)
Seriously though, I think it'd be ok if they did show attractive, healthy men and women BOTH and also equally emphasized intelligence, empathy, compassion, and all the awesome qualities we need more of in our world that so many veg*ns usually embody.
As far as men deciding to go veg*n because of sexy, naked, skinny women, I think it's more the opposite effect. The guys I work with just think there's no way they could have much muscle, keep thier weight up and stay strong by not eating meat. (They think I'm too skinny and small even though I haven't lost any weight since going vegan over two years ago. I'm the only woman on the department and they're just used to seeing bigger, overweight Americans and big macho "firemen". Oh yeah, and they're chauvanistic pigs, what can I say?!) :whatever: :P
I really don't see a problem with a vegan strip club.
Veganism has nothing to do with feminism. To assume that all vegans are against strip clubs or sexual imagery just forces your views on what veganism should be.
I actually think its amazing that this has happened anywhere. It shows that more people then just hippies, liberals, and whatever other stereotypes that hold back the movement can see that meat consumption is wrong.
Veganism has nothing to do with feminism.
I disagree on this. There have been a couple of books written about this: The Sexual Politics of Meat and The Pornography of Meat. While I might not agree w/ everything in regards to these topics, I think you can't deny that there are some links. You can claim that your veganism has nothing to do with feminism, but to claim that in general, the two are not connected, is not fair to those who do see a connection.
Veganism has nothing to do with feminism. To assume that all vegans are against strip clubs or sexual imagery just forces your views on what veganism should be.
Some people think the two are related, and some don't. No one here assumed that all vegans are against strip clubs or sexual imagery. I am not opposed to sexual imagery, in general. No one said, "These people, being vegan, should oppose the objectification of the women at their establishment." Many of us think the tactic of using sexual imagery (and very particular kinds of sexual imagery) is ineffective and points to deeper societal problems relating to feminism and misogyny, that's all.
It shows that more people then just hippies, liberals, and whatever other stereotypes that hold back the movement can see that meat consumption is wrong.
It has been years since I have been to a strip club and the last thing on my mind on all those occasions was what the women's dietary habits were. I do not see how a strip club furthers the vegan cause. Men do not go to strip clubs to get a moral/ethical lesson about what they should and should not eat. Maybe that is why this particular venture failed. I cannot view the whole operation as anything else than another example of a misogynistic culture.
Even the owner described the club as, "We put the meat on the pole, not on the plate." Seriously, I cannot think of a more misogynistic comment than that. It does little to dispel whatever notion that vegans are all liberal hippies.
Obviously the strip club is not providing a moral lesson, but it still is positive for any business to operate without cruelty. Whoever assumed the owner was trying to teach people anything is probably mistaken. And I really do think that strippers and strip club owners being vegans does dispel huge stereotypes on who vegans are, it certainly surprised me.
i think a vegan dance club with sexy men and women dancing on stages with an awesome dj and vegan food would be more awesome than this. also with only vegan drinks. yesss.