Stop Hiding. Start Winning: Confronting Vegan Stigma Head-On
The biggest challenge isn’t getting people to try veganism—it’s getting them to stay. And the way we talk about identity might be why.
Why don’t more people go vegan—and why don’t more people stay vegan?
This question is central to the future of the animal rights movement. It’s not just about ethics or information; it’s about identity. And the mainstream movement, in trying to avoid the stigma of “vegan,” may have made the problem worse. Here's a different approach.
1. Identity and stigma are key barriers to veganism.
Fears around identity and stigma are among the top reasons people don’t go vegan—or don’t stay vegan. Most people eat meat... because most people eat meat. It’s a closed tautology; a cycle of normalization that feeds itself. The issue is not just habit—it’s the fear of being seen as “different.”
2. The mainstream movement has tried to minimize identity.
Parts of the mainstream animal rights movement responded to this fear by trying to sidestep identity altogether. Don’t say vegan—say vegetarian. Don’t want that? Say plant-based. Still too strong? Say “plant-forward” or “plant-strong.” The idea was to get people to change their behavior without worrying about identity—if people don’t want the identity, then just ignore the identity aspect and work on changing the behavior. As Matt Ball phrased it in an interview with Tobias Leenaert, titled “Vegan Is a Distraction”:
*"I stopped eating meat, eggs, and dairy over a quarter century ago. At the time, and for years after, I was mindlessly pro-'vegan.' Not pro-animal, or pro-compassion, or pro-change. Pro-'vegan.' The word. The identity. The philosophy and 'lifestyle.'
But in the real world, 'vegan' is a stereotype, a punchline, an excuse. People say, 'I could never be vegan,' and that is the end of the conversation—the end of any opportunity for constructive engagement...
'Vegan' is an ego-boost, a divider, a distraction. It is too easy to simply judge things as 'vegan / not vegan,' instead of focusing on cruelty to animals, working to end factory farms, and having any real impact in the real world."*
I understand how they came to this idea. At the time, it seemed strategic. But…
3. It has not worked.
But the data tells a troubling story: Plant-based sales are dropping. Restaurants have pulled plant-based items after brief experimentation. In some cases, adding plant-based options actually increased meat sales. Meanwhile, the “vegan halo” effect—where plant-based branding elevates the appeal of an entire menu or brand—has, at times, benefited conventional meat.
As The Guardian phrased this phenomenon of businesses adding vegan options to improve their public image and boost the sale of non-vegan items:
“One way of looking at this is that veganism is great for business. Another is that vegan sausage rolls are a great marketing tool for pork sausage rolls.”
The stigma around veganism has not gone away—it’s been papered over.
4. We should confront vegan stigma head-on.
Instead of hiding from vegan stigma, we need to face it head-on. Embrace it. Own it.
Encourage every vegan to be proud of their veganism—not ashamed, not apologetic.
Pride and confidence are contagious. Shame is never a winning strategy.
5. Stop gatekeeping; start affirming.
This also means rethinking how we talk to each other. One of the most damaging things in the movement is when vegans tell other vegans that they’re not vegan. From a communication theory perspective, this is counterproductive. A far more effective way to phrase it is that the person’s actions are not vegan and so, as a vegan, they should make their actions match who they are and stop the non-vegan behavior. This is not a subtle or unimportant change. It is one of the single most important actions we can take as a movement. .
You are vegan. That’s why it matters that your actions match your values.
This isn’t a small shift—it’s foundational.
Overwhelmingly, our challenge as a movement is not that people are not going vegan—they are, more than ever before—the problem is that they are not staying vegan. That is the single most important problem we as a movement need to focus on: “retention,” not “recuitment.” And part of how we can help vegans stay vegan is to keep calling them in. Yes, they are vegan, and now they need to make their actions align even more with who they really are as a person. That is the single most urgent issue in the movement today. If we want to win, we need to make staying vegan easier. And part of that is calling people in, not out. Affirm their identity—and help them live up to it.
Conclusion
If you’re vegan, say so. If you’ve slipped, come back. You can always come back. If you feel isolated, know that you’re not alone. There are more of us than ever before.
Most importantly, vegan is not a distraction. It is a fundamental part of who we are; we have every right to be proud of it.
Call other vegans in—not out—and remind them of who they are. Be proud of who we are. That’s how we build a movement that lasts. That is how we win.
And, we are going to win.
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