Day 8 of Veganism

My decline in appetite has become much more apparent. There is absolutely no way that I can continue this for more than the 10 days I agreed to. I have been eating healthy, but I a vast knowledge of different foods you can eat is the only way to maintain a vegan diet.

I was talking with some of my other group members today, and they mentioned the book "Skinny Bitch" as well as the follow up cookbook "Skinny Bitch in the Kitch".

Two years ago, I was working for a publishing company in New York, and the office was essentially a warehouse in which every book arrived with more than enough copies for every employee to get their own copy.

My job was to mail books to salespeople in different parts of the world, but I was also allowed to peruse all of the books and take whatever I wanted. My apartment is filled with north of 100 books that I boxed and mailed to Ohio.

Both of the Skinny Bitch books had become extremely popular, and I spent a lot of time boxing copies of the books and mailing them to different parts of South America and Asia. If I had taken just one copy of the cookbook, it would be extremely useful for me right now.

However, I was discouraged because of the explicitly feminine target audience of the books. Take for example the subtitle of Skinny Bitch in the Kitch:

"Kick-Ass Recipes for Hungry Girls Who Want to Stop Cooking Crap (and Start Looking Hot!)"

As anxious as I am to "Start Looking Hot!", this book simply did not appeal to me. This is despite the fact that I have always considered myself open-minded to different dietary choices.

This brings me to a larger theme of what I have pondered throughout my vegan period: the association of vegetarianism/veganism with femininity, and the association of eating meat with masculinity.

To many of my friends, giving up meat would not just be difficult because they enjoy eating it. Giving up meat would make them feel like they have departed from an aspect of male identity.

In my discussions with friends they have said, in jest, that I would be more manly if I ate meat, or that I am being feminine for not eating it. Even though they were joking with me and meant no disrespect, there is no doubt in my mind that they (and countless others) see veganism as an affront to male self-determination.

The relevant literature should address this misconception. I'm sure that gender nonspecific vegan cookbooks already exist, but where are the books advocating veganism in a decidedly male tone?

I like to think that I am beyond some type of male-targeted marketing scheme, but I'm not, and my friends definitely aren't. If vegan lifestyles were promoted in a way that reflected popular male interests, I think these associations would wane.

I want to see veganism promoted during football games in a way that fits with the rest of the ridiculous advertising (i.e. Being vegan will make women attracted to you! or Being vegan will make you feel better... so that you can play sports! Mow the lawn! Be productive!)