PETA Needs to Get It Together

Yesterday, the blogosphere was abuzz about PETA. I touched on PETA before briefly when discussing vegetarianism and feminism, but they just keep on going, don't they?

There's nothing like a little fat-hatred to get you to go vegetarian. This billboard is reportedly up in Jacksonville, FL. Sure it's possible for some people to lose weight with a vegetarian diet, but certainly not everyone loses weight by being a vegetarian (like me!). Strike one. Vegetarianism shouldn't be a decision based on weight loss. Strike two. There is nothing wrong with being fat. Sometimes it is out of a person's control. Other times it's a conscious choice. Whatever the case, people can still be beautiful if they are fat. Strike three. And sooooo many other things wrong with this billboard... Using women's objectified bodies to promote the personal, moral decision of vegetarianism is immoral in and or itself. Also using the slogan "Save the Whales" in reference to a woman's body is dehumanizing. Apparently fat women are just whales that need to be saved by people from PETA by forcing them to go vegetarian.

This new ad featuring Nia Long is so photoshopped that she doesn't even have a belly button.


Advocacy Group Decries PETA's Inhumane Treatment Of Women

The Onion has even taken on PETA's treatment of women in their advertising.

PETA's sexist advertising campaigns are nothing new. But you would think that with all the negative response they get from their advertising that they would learn their lesson. But obviously not.

By playing off of the "women as meat" sexist belief, PETA is trying to show the oppression of animals. But at what cost? Using this advertising technique just reinforces the sexist norms of society: that women are less than human.

I'm all for animal rights and vegetarianism as a personal choice, but when PETA uses sexist advertising, playing off of the sexuality of women, I have a problem. Instead of raising awareness for the treatment of animals, these advertising techniques just reinforce and promote sexist norms.

Further Reading:
PETA Gets the Onion Treatment [Bitch Blogs]
PETA's Treatment of Women Is a Joke [Jezebel]
Women: Still Less Important Than Chickens [Shakesville]

Is Vegetarianism a Feminist Issue?

I have been a vegetarian my whole life. I have always thought (or liked to think) that it was a quirky personality trait (I don't like the taste/texture of meat) as opposed to a political statement. But recently, the past four years to be exact, while I was at college, I started to think more about what it meant to eat meat and to not eat meat. I have friends who are vegetarians as a political statement and those who are vegetarians to promote a healthy diet.

As a feminist, I started to think about how being a vegetarian was not only a political statement, but how it could also be a feminist one. Part of vegetarianism is protesting the unethical treatment of animals in order to serve human purposes. Part of feminism is about protesting the oppression of women in order to serve white male purposes and about the interlocking forms of oppression. You can see the connection here. The unethical treatment of animals and the oppression of women can be linked in connection to the privilege of (white) males.

The Sexual Politics of Meat by Carol J. Adams (which I haven't read, but it is definitely going on the list) is all about this connection. The Amazon.com description of the book says...

Building upon these observations, feminist activist Adams detects intimate links between the slaughter of animals and violence directed against women. She ties the prevalence of a carnivorous diet to patriarchal attitudes, such as the idea that the end justifies the means, and the objectification of others.

By connecting the oppression of women to the oppression of animals, we can then see the connection between the slaughter of animals and violence against women. The unethical treatment of animals by (white) males due to the patriarchal society is also linked to violence against women due to the patriarchal society.

And no one shows the connection between slaughtering animals and violence against women (by promoting violence against women) like PETA. The PETA ads are old news, but still relevant. Using women as a way to promote animal rights activism, PETA equates slaughtering animals to violence against women, but not in a good way. These ads are sexist and rather than stopping the unethical treatment of animals (like I'm assuming its intention is), it is making women a piece of meat, ready to be consumed by men.

PETA has been creating these kinds of ads for while, but nothing seems to change despite outcry from feminist communities. You would think that PETA would be more sensitive to the oppression of women because of the connection between vegetarianism and feminism. But PETA is all too aware of this connection, but does not use it productively. PETA uses this connection to further their cause at the expense of women.

So, is vegetarianism a feminist issue? Yes. Should all feminists be vegetarians? No. Being a vegetarian is a personal choice. And what is feminism all about? The freedom for women to make their own decisions about their life, their body, and what they do to or put into their body. I chose to be a vegetarian. Well, chose out of personal preference, but if I liked meat today, I would probably still choose to be a vegetarian. But not everyone has to be. It's all about the personal decision. While I do believe in the connection of these forms of oppression (as with all forms of oppression), being a vegetarian is such a personal decision that I believe that whatever someone decides to do, it is the right decision for them.