Ageism and Veganism: It’s Just a Phase Posted on Jan 18, 2013 by Ashley in Vegan Issues |

It’s Friday and that means it’s time for a grab-bag post from your’s truly! I am glad that I instated this sort of non-column for this year because it gives me a chance to sound off and write about things I normally wouldn’t put on the blog. Today’s post about ageism and vegansim was inspired by several things: 1) My veganism is sometimes referred to as a phase by several people who I am relatively close to, 2) I’ve noticed a lack of younger, mainstream vegan activist and role models, and 3) I have always been interested in activism and I have been thinking a lot lately about what the future of activism within the vegan community looks like.

Yes, those are all very vague notions, however, it was those thoughts that propelled me into thinking about ageism and how it permeates other areas of society and more specifically, what it means for veganism. Not all of these concepts or ideas are fleshed out completely, but what you’ll read below are my thoughts on the state of things – though I admittedly don’t offer up any immediate solutions to the problems I discuss.

As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this after you read through it. Please keep comments respectful and constructive – you don’t have to agree with me, but tearing someone down doesn’t move the conversation forward. Enoy!

A Story to Start Us Off

Last summer I was at a wedding and many family members were in attendance. Though I’d been vegan for over a year at the time, I was still on the receiving end of many awkward questions and comments about my veganism. Though I normally dismissed them and kindly tried to explain to them why I went vegan and how great I felt for doing it, one conversation that night, in particular, made me feel like I was being hassled simply because of my age, not necessarily because of the veganism.

After a long night of dancing and drinking, I headed to a bar for the after party, at which I ran into a family member who had also been drinking quite a lot. They proceeded to ask me if I was still vegan and when I responded with a yes, they immediately said, “That’s interesting. You’ll see how things are soon enough and you’ll be back to eating meat before you know it.” Now, not one to stir up things with family members, especially after drinking, I let the comment slide, but it ate at me well after the evening was over and it continues to eat at me to this day.

The idea that I’ll ‘see how things are’ implies that I haven’t seen enough to understand the entirety of my decision to go vegan. The statement also implies that I am somehow naive to the ways of the world and that if I understood how things worked I’d be an omnivore. I felt as though I was being spoken down to, as if I were a child, and that my decision was one made out of naivete and childishness. Some have said that I have a bit of a complex when it comes to feeling defensive about my age, but I don’t think you have to be bias to understand what my family member was getting at.

But what if it wasn’t just my family member who thought about veganism in this way? My guess is that it wasn’t, so I did some research and thinking about the topic, and what follows is the product of that (though not always a coherent product ).

Ageism and Veganism

By the numbers:

Vegan celebrities/personalities: Chloe Coscarelli is 25, Ellen DeGeneres is 54, Moby is 47, Woody Harrelson is 51, Bill Clinton is 66, Alicia Silverstone is 36.

Notable vegan activists: Ingrid Newkirk is 63, Neal Barnard is 56, Gene Bauer is 49, T. Colin Campbell is 78.

Notice that out of all of these prominent vegan figures, only one is under the age of 30 and most are 40+ (these lists are by no means exhaustive – just a small representation). Now, there are more than a few reasons as to why this is, but it is still slightly alarming to me that there isn’t much representation of the young vegan crowd in the media or popular culture.

While I am not claiming causation in any way, I don’t think it’s merely coincidence that the numbers shake out this way. Society in general seems to view young adults in particular as a demographic that is easily swayed from one cause or fad to another (which is not entirely wrong) and therefore it seems to be easier for those around us to deem our choices as a ‘phase’ rather than a lifestyle choice. The fact that there are very few young adult vegans in the mainstream media seems to exacerbate the issue, as it is inevitable that people will generalize vegans from what they are exposed to, thus portraying the idea that vegans are either rich celebrities or older, more ‘experienced’ individuals who’ve come to the vegan lifestyle after decades of life experiences that influenced their decision.

It’s seems, from my perspective, that it’s much easier for society to accept that a 50-year-old can make a lifestyle decision and stick to it than their 20-something counterparts. I don’t think this is limited to vegans, but I do think it affects how the public view veganism.

Even though some prominent vegans (bloggers, mostly) started championing the cause when they were in their 20’s, they’ve since gotten older and I haven’t seen a new group coming up to take their place. I believe it is safe to say that most people agree that passionate and active vegans under 30 exist, but what is it that keeps them from being strong, respected figures of veganism?

The answer likely extends beyond vegansim and into society at large. Very few organizations, movements, or causes have leaders or public figures under the age of 30 and it could be for a variety of different reasons: not established enough, not enough life experiences, seemingly too radical, etc. I would argue, though, that the under 30 crowd is one of the most well-connected groups in today’s society. This generation has grown up (for the most part) with the internet at their fingertips and many young activists use that power to leverage relationships that span continents and cultures.

Regardless of life experience or credentials, being connected is a prerequisite for getting things done and creating social change, which would make the under 30 crowd a prime group for championing the vegan movement (and related movements: Animal rights, Environment, Health) and creating lasting change within society.

As veganism continues to permeate mainstream media and culture I think the movement would benefit from looking to the younger generation to keep the momentum going to create more permanent changes in the way we think about our food and lifestyle. I think it’s absolutely wonderful that we have so many well-respected vegans to look up to – whether it’s mainstream celebrities or community-made powerhouses – but the lack of diversity in age (and other areas as well) is something that should be addressed as the movement progresses.

The fix for the lack of age diversity is two-fold: 1) Those already within the community must seek out the next generation of vegans and mentor them and urge them to have their voices heard and 2) Young vegans must step up and make their presence known – both within the vegan community and in the general public.

As someone who’s in the under 30 group (for a couple more years at least), I see many of my peers already jaded by social movements and their brief life spans (ex. Occupy – though it still goes on, the movement has dropped out of mainstream attention dramatically). Though I understand their general sentiment, I still thinks it’s important to stand up for causes that are important to you, whether they are popular or not (popular here simply meaning getting attention, not necessarily a positive or negative connotation).

Additionally, I think we have to make sure that we truly live our causes and not give doubters fuel for the fire. If you are experimenting with veganism or just trying it out, then that’s ok – I understand that some people will find that it’s not the right fit for them personally. However, if you haven’t committed to it whole-heartedly , then do not make yourself into champion for the cause. All too often I see people ‘coming out’ as one thing or another, only to abandon the lifestyle months (or in some cases, years) later. This fuels those who say ‘it’s only a phase’ or ‘you’ll see how things really are soon enough’. Experiment all you want, in fact, I completely encourage it, just make sure you do it responsibly and with respect to those who’ve committed to the lifestyle.

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Thoughts? Are there any prominent young adult vegans that I’m leaving out? What do you think is the most pressing issue the vegan movement is facing?

Yowza, I am long-winded – thanks for sticking it out!