Vice Addresses Vegan Health Stigma

In a recent feature in media outlet Vice, junior editor Hannah Ewens dispelled the boldly stereotype that veganism is intrinsically linked to clean eating. “Vegans are fat. Vegans are unhealthy. Vegans are poor. Vegans don’t give a [expletive] about a lifestyle blogger. The above list can apply to a lot of vegans a lot of the time.” Ewens revealed that she is vegan for the animals, environment, and, to some extent, health, while pointing out that the association of “clean eating” and “wellness” to veganism—all terms related to dieting—dilute the ethical reasons why people choose an animal product-free lifestyle and conflates what it means to be vegan with the ideals of health food fanatics. “For a lifestyle that restricts a lot of food groups, my experience has been that it’s rarely about denying yourself,” Ewens said. “It doesn’t count calories and above all isn’t built on or centered on shame.”