ABSTRACT
Popular definitions of who is and what defines veganism agree that in general it is a person (and a moment) that excludes meat, eggs, dairy products and all other animal-based ingredients. Many vegans also do not eat foods that are processed using animal products, and avoid the use of products tested on animals, and abstain from leather, fur and wool. In any case, one important fact to note is that plant-based living and eating has been around since time immemorial. Given the belief in ethical living and harmony with all animal life, why are so many voices excluded from mainstream thinking about the movement? Why, in fact, has the vegan movement been largely associated with and attributed to whiteness, the most popular book titles exemplifying race-neutral approaches to veganism? What does a race-consciousness approach look like in popular vegan writing? Taking up these and other questions of racialization, this essay will consider mainstream vegan media to argue that popular representations of veganism are far from race-neutral.
