Question for Vegans and Vegetarians?!
Question for Vegans and Vegetarians?
I am a rookie vegetarian, and after having a conversation with my boyfriend (a meat eater) he pointed out some of the things I do that are hypocritical to my vegetarian beliefs.
1) I have some leather purses, that I still use, and he said that hypocritical (I agree)
2) My leather shoes that I ware to work (I agree)
3) And a leather coat my sister got me from Italy years ago (it has sentimental value, and I am not going to use it, but I am not going to give it away!
He said that if I commit to something I should do it all the way, and I agree. There are financial issues also. I can't afford to go and buy new shoes and purses. However the items that I do have, I will donate or give away to friends, so I am not wasting the product.
I am not looking to be a vegan yet, however I do want to do the things that seem right in my mind, so I do want to cut out all things that I use and wear that were derived from KILLING an animal.
Any ideas, what should I look for when shopping for shoes and cloths and purses (when I have the money for it)?
Please no smart *** or rude answers!
2 months ago
What I mean by what I should be looking for are what type of materials were made without killing or hurting an animal.
Answers:
2 months ago
What I mean by what I should be looking for are what type of materials were made without killing or hurting an animal.
You owned those things before you became vegetarian...don't worry about it! You would only be a hypocrite if you if you buy those things now.
This website is great! http://www.vegetarian-shoes.co.uk/...
Hey, I'll be honest, I am not the best at this thing! I too have leather belts and two nice leather jackets...the list goes on and on! But, that can't hold you back! Think about who gave you the gift and how much they thought of you when they gave you that leather jacket of those purses! It is smart to be aware of things and try and limit your usage, but you should not consider yourself a hypocrite! You are who you are and veggietarian is what you eat, not who you are as an individual! You are sooo much more than that!
There are a ton of places you can get things for cheap...AJWright has a lot of prof. clothing...payless for shoes and walmart for other things. Just check the tags to see if they are real fur or not. They last about a year (the shoes) because they are not real but youll spend less than 25 dollars for them....so you might have to go once a year for shoes but everyting else like AJwright esp.. the quality of clothes are great and the prices are very cheap...PS..dont go to walmart..the quality of the clothes suck...
I understand your dilemma, but think about this in regard to your shoes. You will ruin you feet if you wear nothing but synthetic materials for shoes. There are natural fibers, but they generally don't hold up, so not terribly cost effective. It's not necessarilly hypocritical to wear leather in all situations. As for your coat... I'm sure it's out of style anyway, so no loss there.
Also consider this. People are vegetarians for different reasons. Not all make that choice out of political awareness and kindness to animals. Some just find it to be a healthier choice for them. So it certainly wouldn't be hypocritical for them, would it?
Another thing to consider. Some glues are made from animal tissues, which could possibly be used in the making of your non-leather shoes and purses. There's no way of checking that.
I think your concerns are very commendable, but I also feel you have to draw the line somewhere. We can't live in a perfect world. If we did, there'd be no world hunger, or wars, or disabilities, or diseases that have no cure. In my opinion, you do the best you can, which I don't think means never wearing leather shoes. There are many things we use every day that could involve animals. Do you check on all your cosmetics? Pay attention to animal testing? Here's a good one for ya. There's a well known, very popular, body and bath products store in the malls. One puts this statement on ALL there labels: "Final product not tested on animals". That disgusts me big time! That also tells me animal testing IS done prior to production of the final product. I don't wear leather coats, or ANY clothing item with fir either. Pay attention to those things.. I sure do, and I'm not a vegetarian. If you don't... you are definitely being hypocritical.
The animals that died to make those items are already dead. Your thowing the items away and getting new ones, means you are using more of the planets resources. That makes no sense. Use them until they wear out. If it bothers you to use them give them to the poor.
There are many fabrics and other things that are made from recycled plastic-even very soft bedsheets. Renewable resources like cotton, bamboo and hemp are good choices, too.
First off, I sense a little animosity on the side of your boyfriend. Why is it his place as a meat eater to point out your supposed 'hypocrisy'? That really burns me up! He doesn't seem supportive whatsoever.
That being said, most vegetarians agree that it is morally acceptable to use animal-derived products that were purchased before the switch to vegetarianism , just as long as you don't purchase any more. In using these products, you're not making any more contribution to the animal industry than you already have.
Still, I think it's the general consensus around here that the use of such products is distasteful, and I wouldn't at all blame you for ridding yourself of them and shopping for new.
Some suggestions:
Buy some flip-flops at Old Navy for casual-wear ... they're 2 for $5!
Check out thrift stores/second-hand stores for dressy shoes - sometimes you can find some real nice, cheap things there.
Get a canvas bag to carry your things in - they're cheap ... and if you get the tote style you can use them to carry groceries so you won't have to use up so many plastic bags.
My biggest advice would be to bargain shop ... check labels ... and tell your boyfriend that if he's not going to be supportive, he shouldn't comment on your vegetarianism at all.
If you are an *ethical* vegetarian you shouldnt use animal flesh, whether it is to eat, wear, or keep for some other reason. All of it supports the same suffering.
For the person who claimed that you will ruin your feet if you don't wear leather shoes, that is one the most ridiculous statements I heard so far! I didn't wear leather shoes for over 11 years now and there's absolutely nothing wrong with my feet. There are strong, good-quality materials out there, similar to leather but without the guilt.
Where I live all shoes (and clothes) are marked with information about the materials it contains. You can ask in the store if you're unsure. I'm a vegan and avoiding materials made of animals was always really easy to me. It has never been an issue since the information can be found right on the product and is easy to understand.
There are many great vegan online stores, some with reasonable prices, other more luxurious, depends what you're looking for. You can find clothes, shoes, purses,,, etc... So google and see for yourself.
There's absolutely no reason to wear leather (or fur) in this day and age, with so many alternatives available.
i am a vegan, sorta
i own a pair of working gloves that's made out of leather
i can't work without glove, and so i'm sorta a vegan
i don't eat any animal or use anything else that i can think of
so i say don't pay any attention to your boyfriend, i'm sure he's just looking for trouble
if he can not eat meat for a week, then you get rid of your purse and shoe, but surly your bf is too manly to not eat meat for 1 week
tip on buying purse, if you buy knockoff purse, they're always made with fake leather and look like the real thing, and it's 10x cheaper
i think you are talking about 2 different things. Being vegan or vegetarian is only about eating. Wearing leather or animal skins is about cruelty to animals issues. Your boyfriend is trying to mix up the 2 different things to confuse you. If one can't win the argument, the next thing to do is the confound the issue with confusion. Unless you are becoming a vegetarian because you think eating meat is cruel to animals.
I don't think you can link vegetarian to the cruelty issue because lots of people go vegetarian for health issues and not cruelty issues. Cruelty issues are debatable but the
health issues are more clear.
There are many alternatives check out this link:
http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/leather.htm...
If you are a dietary vegetarian then what he said doesn't apply. If you are ethical then you should do what you can. If you already have something then you should consider changing when you can, but if it already exists then you shouldn't throw it out in the trash.
It wouldn't be possible to go 100% and be able to live in the real world, so you just have to do what you can. Tires tend to have some animal byproduct, so you wouldn't be able to have a car or bike or take most transportation, etc... You wouldn't be able to use most industrial lubricants/oils, glues, film, cosmetics, toiletries, etc... In general it isn't possible to get away from it completely because the general society uses animal products in most places. If you don't know about "animal rendering" then you should read about it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/industrial_...
The idea is to do what you can and what you feel comfortable with. Only you can judge yourself on personal decisions like this.
1) I have some leather purses, that I still use, and he said that hypocritical (I agree)
"I don't agree necessarily and most would consider me one of the most "fanatical", or strict Vegans on Y!A (I prefer ethically consistent). If your comfortable using it until it wears out then go for it. You already bought it so it's not like you are harming anyone at this point anymore than you already have. What would by hypocritical would be to buy another leather purse for obvious reasons.
My answer for #1 really goes for all three. If your comfortable wearing the items until they wear out go for it. If not donate them.
I suggest you check out these websites: http://animal-law.org and http://veganfreak.net
I think they will help you alot.
Good luck and go Vegan (it's way easier than you think)!