Veganism and masculinity. Can real men be vegan?

You all know about that stereotype in the society that real men must eat meat. Why is that? Probably because meat has a lot of protein, and protein is associated with big muscles. But so do plants, plant protein is no worse in muscle-building, and so many vegan athletes are a living proof of that. Then what, maybe because in cave times men were hunting and providing survival for their families when there was no plant food available. But that is no longer valid for modern men, who “hunt” for their meat in a supermarket. Doesn’t require so much courage and strength to pick up a package from a shelf :)

Another reason, I think, is that killing an animal is brutal and ruthless, and girls for some reason seem to like such “tough” guys, who appear aggressive and indifferent. Maybe because they mistake it for confidence.

I’m not at all attracted to such men. Maybe I was a little in my teenage years, but that was very superficial, and I know for sure, that if I dag deeper, I would be repulsed from such relationship. Now I’m a grown up and I value completely different qualities in men. And all of these qualities are present in vegan men.

Manly qualities that make a vegan man:

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• Responsibility. A vegan man recognizes that his choices have an impact on others, and he takes responsibility for what he does and consumes. He usually cares about how his choices affect not only animals, but also the environment and other people. Also he’s taken responsibility for his own health.

• Consciousness. He is aware and wants to be aware of all the truth, even if it’s uncomfortable or painful.

• Open-mindedness and independent thinking. He was most probably raised as a non-vegan, but he was open-minded enough to question the status quo, research and make his own conclusions.

• Will power. Changing one’s habits and diet is not always easy, especially in the beginning, and not falling back into old ways does require some will power.

• Confidence and ability to stand for himself. Living in a largely non-vegan world means that a vegan man will likely face some mocking, teasing, sarcastic comments. And still he stands for his beliefs and responds to sarcasm with dignity and humor (or learns to do that eventually).

• Kindness and empathy. That doesn’t even need to be explained :)

• Desire to protect those who are weaker. Isn’t that one of the most important things we want to find in a man? That what makes a real man. And baby animals raised for slaughter are the most vulnerable and innocent beings on the planet. How killing them, especially for vain reasons, can be manly? I’m not even talking about paying to others for killing these babies.

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For me these qualities are the most important. Masculinity is not about being tough and rough and ruthless. It’s about being strong morally and physically, having strong values and ability to stay true to them no matter what. It’s taking responsibility for one’s words, actions, and those who are weaker. It’s compassion and kindness, desire to protect.

To all vegan men out there. Thank you for not being afraid to step up and make really manly choices. Thank you for being a living example for others. Thank you for caring.

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- Go Vegan -

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