Philosophical Vegan Forum

How is it that every debate I have ever had someone "knows a vegan who looks sick" I know one vegan in my city and she is a slamin' hottie and I'm pretty built (still working for that washboard chyaa bra). How many of these people are just making up anecdotal stories? seriously it seems like everyone "grew up on a farm and conditions are not that bad" or some other such nonsense. I have always wanted to jump through the computer just to see who is on the other end. I really want to know how many of these people simply saw some specious article about a sickly little vegan that was cherry picked to make us look bad, and then said "I knew this vegan once". occasionally it makes me question my health, which is insane since I'm in better shape now than I was in high school on the wrestling team, and my recovery time makes me feel like a damn terminator.

What's a "washboard chyaa bra"?

The issue is probably a matter of observation bias. These people have probably all met a few vegans and didn't even know or remember it- the one that fit their stereotypes was the one that was remembered.

Fit vegans just need to become more visible to smash those stereotypes; and thankfully, through athletics, they're starting to.

Yes, i have often found myself with a non-vegan claiming to know more vegans then I. I think they really don't know as many as they claim to know, and have formulated a stereotype that they apply to anyone who they suspect may be vegan.

Has anyone ever shocked anyone by saying they're vegan. Like "Wow man, you must eat a lot of meat to look that fit" And you say "Nope, I'm vegan." This has never happened to me but hopefully this has happened to someone here, if it has, explain the expression on their face

The people that knew me before I went vegan can see how healthy I am now, they remember how sickly skinny I was on an omnivorous diet & are shocked to see that I went vegan & gained weight!

dan1073 wrote:Has anyone ever shocked anyone by saying they're vegan. Like "Wow man, you must eat a lot of meat to look that fit" And you say "Nope, I'm vegan." This has never happened to me but hopefully this has happened to someone here, if it has, explain the expression on their face

Yes actually. Im a tall man (6 foot 4 inches) and weigh about 210lbs. Ive gotten a few comments in the past from people who would never have thought me vegan because of their misconception of vegans as being thin, pale, short and sickly.

I'm one of those skinny guys (and also relatively long). I've always been this way though. What I eat doesn't influence it a bit.

I also have a pretty white skin color. Being in the sun doesn't change it that much. When I was young, I played outside in the sun pretty much all day long, never really getting brown.

So it looks like I fit perfectly into the stereotype image people have.

Volenta wrote:So it looks like I fit perfectly into the stereotype image people have.

We're similar in that for sure
My metabolism doesn't seem like it wants me to be fat, even if I eat sweets at every meal.