45 Signs That You’re a Vegan and Just Don’t Know It Yet
Being a vegan is about having compassion—compassion for Mother Earth and all her inhabitants. Yet I know plenty of people who aren’t vegan but are compassionate, which got me thinking: Are they actually vegan on the inside, and have they just not let their true selves emerge?
Now you can answer the burning question, “Am I a vegan?” by considering these questions:
1. Do you close your eyes or sob during certain Disney movie scenes?
Remember in Bambi, when Bambi’s mother was killed by a hunter …
What about when Simba begs his dead father, Mufasa, to get up …
Or how about pretty much every scene in The Fox and the Hound …
2. Do you know SeaWorld sucks?
3. Do you boycott plastic straws and keep a reusable one in your purse, car, etc.?
If you’ve stopped using plastic straws to save fish, the next step is definitely refusing to eat fish to save them.
4. Are there certain animal body parts that you refuse to eat?
I have this friend—let’s call her Sheila. She and I attended a wedding once at which the buffet included, among other things, BBQ ribs. As we filled our plates, Sheila turned to me and said something like, “I can’t eat ribs—it freaks me out that it’s, like, a ribcage.” My response:
5. Would you stop whatever you’re doing to help a stray dog?
6. Do you buy cruelty-free cosmetics?
7. Do you only buy faux fur?
8. Would you sometimes rather hang out with animals than with people?
If I had a dollar for every time I blew off plans with humans and stayed home with my dogs instead, I’d have about $217.
9. Do you use reusable shopping bags?
10. Do you support oppressed communities and recognize that supremacist viewpoints are whack?
11. Do you freak out when almost hitting an animal while driving a car?
Remember: Good defensive driving techniques can help save more than just human lives.
12. Did you try “The Daniel Plan” for Lent?
13. Do you feel bad for animals in roadside zoos?
14. Do you consider yourself an “animal lover”?
15. Do you like Beyond Burgers?
16. Do you think bullfighting is a disgrace?
17. Do you buy vegan ice cream at the grocery store?
18. Do you move snails to a safe place before pulling your car out of the driveway?
19. Do you follow PETA on social media?
If you don’t, well, now’s your chance:
20. Do you take action to help animals?
We’ve made it super-easy to do so! Take action on the 10 most urgent PETA alerts this month.
21. Do you know that tiger selfies harm animals?
22. Would you help a dog left in a hot car?
23. Do you refuse to buy tickets to circuses that use animals?
24. Does your heart break when you see live lobsters in grocery store tanks?
25. Do you do your part to reduce food waste?
26. Did your childhood BFFs include your stuffed animals?
Oh … just me?
27. Do you drive a hybrid or electric vehicle?
28. Do you recycle?
29. Would you rather stop and pet the dogs than stop and smell the roses?
30. Do you choose humane rodent control over lethal methods?
31. Are you a feminist?
32. Do you refuse to buy honey in order to help save bees?
33. Do you feel guilty eating animal-derived foods in front of your vegan friends?
34. Do you catch bugs in your house and release them outdoors?
35. Do you think raw meat looks gross?
36. Do you refuse to hit “play” on any PETA videos marked “graphic”?
37. Would you rather go naked than wear fur?
38. Do you think trophy hunters have something seriously wrong with them?
39. Would you refuse to eat your dog?
40. Do you have a favorite animal?
41. Do you choose almond, soy, coconut, oat, or other vegan milk over cow’s milk?
42. Have you stopped eating “red meat“?
43. Are you a pescatarian?
44. Are you a vegetarian?
45. Does seeing fish, guinea pigs, hamsters, rabbits, chinchillas, reptiles, birds, or other small animals at pet stores make you tear up?
If you answered yes to any of these, I’ve got news for you: You’re a vegan!
OK, so maybe you’re not quite vegan yet … but clearly, there’s some compassion inside you that’s dying to be unleashed. So let your inner vegan take hold. Ditching meat during Lent or eating animal-free when you’re with your vegan friends is great, but if you really want to help animals, going fully vegan is the way to go. Click below to get started.
By Katherine Sullivan