Is Veganism Just a Fad?

“Isn’t veganism just a fad? It’s probably just like all the other crazes.”

Maybe it’s just a small portion of people for a small amount of time and eventually it will fizzle out? Maybe it’s like Labubus, Dubai Chocolate, crypto, that digital art thing where you don’t actually own it or you own a piece of it (I never understood those things), fidget spinners or the Harlem Shake (is my age showing yet?), or Pokémon cards (wait no that’s back now I think or is it over again?).

How long does a fad last before it’s no longer considered a trend and something more permanent?

Laying down roots

In 1944, Donald Watson split off from the Vegetarian Society to start the Vegan Society. So that’s a movement that’s been going for a while now and is still up and running!

Before that, veganism wasn’t officially a thing, but the idea of avoiding harm to animals has been around for a long time:

• Jainism has taught ahimsa (non-violence towards all living beings) for thousands of years, and many Jains avoid animal products to this day. They still drink milk though (not sure how it’s non-violent but I guess they consider it acceptable).
• Leonardo da Vinci is said to have followed a vegetarian diet for ethical reasons, and even bought caged birds to set them free. What a sweetie.
• Benjamin Lay was an early abolitionist and vegetarian in the 18th century. Fighting the good fight against slavery and also somehow trying his best to avoid causing harm to animals through his diet.

So veganism, while not formally defined until the 20th century, has deep roots that go far beyond a flash-in-the-pan trend.

Mind over platter

A while back I tried keto to see if I was gluten intolerant. That sucked a lot and my stomach still hasn’t forgiven me! My flatmate used to put a block of butter in his morning coffee. Not sure what he was doing there but it didn’t last long. A couple of people have told me they tried out veganism for a bit and then moved on. Personally, I’d say they tried a “plant-based” diet rather than veganism. These were all experiments rather than ethical commitments.

Veganism isn’t really a diet. It’s a stance against exploiting animals, which is why it covers leather, wool and cosmetics tested on animals too. It’s about the animals, and not about me!

“What makes veganism interesting, compared with other trends in the food industry, is that it carries an identity or value dimension that goes beyond eating healthily. In other words, for some consumers, there is more to being vegan than eating vegan. For example, the choice of being vegan for some consumers is primarily led by the animal rights cause. This makes their motivation for consumption of vegan products even stronger. This rather unique aspect of veganism, compared with other trends, means that it is probably here to stay.” - Professor Ben Voyer from LSE

A diet fades when you stop or never start seeing results. An ethical stance remains regardless of trends or personal gain.