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In reaction to the recent unrest among activists concerning PETA's Sexiest Vegetarian contest, I have a few points to make.

The discussion I believe was motivated by the contest, however it is no longer only about the contest. But… Let's talk about the contest. I hear ppl discussing the effectiveness of promoting animal rights and veganism with sexuality - as if they are looking for the answer to the question "Is promoting animal rights and veganism with sexuality effective?" And well - it doesn't matter if we discuss it or not, the answer is a resounding yes. That answer is quantifiable and can be supported with data. If sex didn't gain ppls attn, there are quite a few corporate execs that could pay themselves billions in bonuses with the money they would save in advertising.

So does the question become "Is it a bad thing to do"?? It sounds as if many ppl think sexy images of women serve to perpetuate sexism and are oppressive. In this discussion, specifically the one Ciddy started on a PETA campaign picture (thx for your diplomacy and kindness in your discussion Ciddy) I have been hearing comments like the following:

"Veganism is about a code of morality. How can we present morality packaged in immorality?" I have a HUGE problem with this attitude and statement. Sexuality and nudity are immoral? Some may contest that God may think so, but since God does not have a Facebook account and can't respond to confirm or deny his/her feelings on the subject, lets keep God out of the discussion for now. If something is not hurting others - how is it immoral? How is anyone's naked body hurting you? Or how is anyone's sexuality our business? Sex and our bodies are natural - and wonderful. Why make ppl feel ashamed by labeling them as immoral for embracing sexuality? This is the very attitude that harms a lot of ppl. Especially young girls. I know more ppl than I can count that felt so ashamed about their sexual encounters. Part of them desired sex and part of them was so ashamed and fearful because it was not a 'moral' thing for them to embrace. Males have trouble with this attitude as well. I know males and females (many of them grew up in religious households) that to this day have very serious trouble with relationships due to their problems with sex. Sex isn't dirty - sex isn't bad. We should not shame each other for embracing sex. I can't fathom why it is socially acceptable when it is so very hurtful.

"It reinforces the male perception that veganism is just another 'chick food' diet." Um. Well, that is one way to look at it. But, to some men, it shows them gorgeous, sexy and beautiful women appreciate and desire men that are kind to animals. And that it is ok to embrace veganism which on so many levels has the reputation for not being a manly thing to do. Which is beyond sad and untrue. Many of my good male friends that are vegan are the most masculine, athletic, successful and desirable ppl I know. PETA also does a good job of presenting us with those male images, and I appreciate that.

"Veganism is about SAVING ANIMALS, not being hot." Absolutely yes. But you can still be vegan and hot. I am glad PETA shows this - as many females concerned with their weight fear the vegan diet will undermine their good looks and men tend to be concerned that the vegan diet will not allow them to have bodies they are happy with either - when in truth, one can still be thin, or muscular, or whatever one works towards and desires. These images dispel myths about what vegans are stereotyped to look like.

"We aren't trying to manipulate people into veganism. That never sticks." I really don't think ppl can be manipulated into such a major life change. But ppl can be manipulated in the sense that we can turn their heads with beauty and sexuality to our cause. Clearly. And I think we should. If they change bc we first got their attn this way, then I think that is wonderful.

"As to the issue of oppressing one (group) for the benefit of another, it is unethical." This is a big one. I really think there must be some validity here somewhere to this argument. Many of my good friends (and my sister) - ppl I respect - have tried to help me understand how sexualized images of women oppress them but I either do not get it, or truly just don't agree. At all. Nowhere in a picture of a sexy woman is there a sign that says "hey girls and guys: this should re-enforce what you collectively think about women; they are objects of pleasure that are only here for your enjoyment and have no other value or purpose" - Really???? How do we get this attitude from sexy pictures?? Does anyone actually think that? And if they did - wouldn't that be their problem and not the problem inherent to the image? Yes. Women have tremendous value outside of being sexy and outside of our relationship to men. Sexy pictures aren't always only about pleasing men. I am not gay and I am not a man and I am pleased by them. I am attracted to beauty and sexuality. I am not ashamed. In fact, as a woman - I feel more confident and a sense of well being when I see others presenting themselves in all different ways. In a sexual way. In a modified way (as in piercings and tattoos). In any unconventional way… etc. It makes me feel more comfortable being myself - whatever that may be, when I see others not adhering to pressure to be conformist. Having said that - I would never respect someone less if they did present themselves in a way that appears more 'normal'.

And I want to make it very clear that some women feel oppressed by this culturally accepted disparaging of women with sexual images (and the pressure it creates for us to not express ourselves in that way). And much of the time this attitude, as we see here, has been motivated by men and women that believe they are standing up for women's rights and have only the best feminist intentions at heart. But where do you draw the line? As a feminist? What amount of clothing is acceptable? How covered up does someone need to be in order to not contribute to this 'oppression'? In some countries - women are forced, either by law or by cultural pressure (from women also - not just men!) to cover their bodies. That is the very antithesis of what I believe feminism to be about - and yet we have a correlation here. Why is it so hard to understand that some women feel empowered by embracing their sexuality? By observing others embracing it?

This leads me to my next point. I can't find the comment now but someone was referring to the PETA ad (or the girl in it?) as sleazy and disgusting. This is unacceptable to me. As unacceptable as it would be if I observed ppl commenting on someone's flat chest, someone's fake chest, someone's lack of beauty, someones lack of muscle, etc. Why do we think its ok to openly insult ppl for how they look or present themselves?? Does it do any good for anyone to insult them? Will it save animals? Will it make ppl into kinder, better or better looking ppl? No. The only thing it will do is hurt someone's feelings. And maybe temporarily make you feel better about yourself by bringing someone else down.

Having addressed the above actual issues to the best of my ability, I have to say this: the criticism and drama has been alienating ppl in the AR community and it is more than shameful. Because, as you all know, we have a fucking huge fight we are fighting. We are up against so much from outside our community as we try to open ppls eyes to the harm they are knowingly or unknowingly inflicting on animals. There is not one of us that doesn't understand how frustrating it is to care about animals in this world we live in currently. Because of the way we see the world, we are already so alienated from others on so many levels. Even ppl we love such as close friends and family members. Yet, in this group of ppl (friends dare I say) there are so many kind, compassionate, strong, eloquent, well spoken, passionate, smart, educated, creative, effective and yes - gorgeous and sexy ppl. And we have found strength in our friendships and combined forces to make our efforts more effective. And while we should be able to discuss issues that we think are important such as this - I believe we really need to be careful not to hurt each other here.

Of those I have seen, disparaging comments such as the ones referring to those of our friends that entered the contest are unkind, untrue and absolutely counterproductive. Notably among these comments are those that insinuate that contestants (or just those who publicly embrace their sexuality) are less respectable, and/or less of an activist. I personally know a number of contestants. And they are some of the finest, most genuine, hardest working and effective activists I have ever met in my life. I could go into detail here - but perhaps I won't now (if you are one of the contestants and feel the desire to comment with your activism resume please do - but you should absolutely not feel the need to! I don't want to contribute to this collective pissing contest about who is a better activist). But honestly - even if they weren't, even if they never breathed a word of veganism to anyone, or never saved an animal, or never did any kind of AR outreach, I would still absolutely respect them bc they are vegan for the animals. They save upwards of 100 animals a yr. And for those of us that are familiar with the statistics - that number does not include sea food. And considering the amount of by-catch associated with consuming sea food - these ppl are saving hundreds, maybe thousands of lives a yr just by being vegan. So for that - I would never disparage them. I would of course want someone passionate and eloquent about the issues to win, good thing all of my friends that are contestants would make great use of that platform if they did indeed win.

My main point here (as it relates to AR), is there are devastating effects for the animal rights community when we tear each other down. I already know of a number of ppl that are withdrawing their financial support to good causes because of insulting things someone has said. And what happens here, is that the animals are the ones that really lose.

Ppl aren't all the same. We all have a different way of getting through to others and we are all receptive to what others present to us in different ways. Which is why we need all kinds of activists. Ones that grab attention with our intelligence, ones that grab attn with our honesty, ones that grab attn with our fearlessness, ones that grab attn with our beauty. We need activists that promote compassion with kind words and gentle motivation. Ones that promote compassion with shocking images and powerful words. WE NEED EVERYONE.

We need to continue to work together, support each other and work on our trust and friendships. We need to be able to talk about issues that are important to us in productive and constructive way.

Author: Melissa Schwartz