Vegetarian Men. An Oxymoron?

Can  “Real Men” be Vegetarian Men?

 

Male CarnivoreI can’t say I’d given it much thought.

But, according to a study in the Journal of Consumer Research it’s apparently more ‘masculine’ to eat meat.  Vegetarian men, it seems, aren’t.

Isn’t that interesting?

It seems that meat – especially muscle meat such as steak – is rated by consumers as more masculine than vegetables.

What you eat should be your personal choice

The study also found that meat generated more masculine words when people discussed it, and that people viewed male carnivores as more masculine than vegetarian men.

Are vegetarian men an endangered species?

Most of the information was gleaned from the USA and the UK, but the study authors also looked at other languages and discovered that meat was related to male gender in most languages.

To the “traditional, strong, macho, bicep-flexing male”, meat is similarly strong and powerful, while soy and vegetables are not – in fact men see those as weak and wimpy, according to the authors of the study.

I admit I don’t know too many vegetarian men, but I like and admire them.  (As I do female vegetarians).

Have meat marketers created this perception of masculinity and meat?

I can’t help but feel it’s a little daft.

After all, what you eat should be your personal choice, not what “people” view as masculine or wimpy.

What do you think?

Let me know in the Comments below, or tweet me @EcoExpert1.

P.S. I don’t know many male vegetarians, but I do hope that my male meat-eating friends eat healthy meat, preferably grass-fed, and NOT reared on inhumane factory farms.

Warm regards,

signature Clare


Tags

meat-eating men, men, vegetarian men


  • I have to admit I do not actually know any vegetarian men! I also don’t consider eating meat to be necessarily macho – I am definitely not! Being brought up on a dairy farm during the 60’s in Scotland, meat was what was served and veggies were not of great quality.
    I do think the Sustainable Seafood Program is very worth while and ‘SlapFish’ deserves to succeed.

    • You make a very valid point about the vegetables not being of great quality back then – mind you, if I remember rightly, meat was so hugely expensive that most people needed to buy cheaper cuts. Now today many people can afford steaks, and the vegetables are mostly of excellent quality, variety and freshness. Thanks for your comment!

  • Clare,

    I was actually a vegetarian for 5 years. I can only speak for myself and I don’t want to even convey for a moment that I am speaking for anyone else…but during my time as a vegetarian I was constantly sick, puny, and run down. I know those aren’t exactly “scientific terms” – but I will tell you…I was not well. I was eating way too much pasta and overloading on carbs.

    Today I try to be about 80% Paleo and I try to include a salad or veggies with almost every meal and I feel so much better than when I was a vegetarian. I haven’t even had the slightest of colds in the last 2 years. Again, I’m just speaking for myself. As always, your mileage may vary.

    Yours In Health!

    G.E. Moon II

    • Hi Gary, thanks for sharing that! Yes, it’s true, you can be vegetarian and still be unhealthy. You absolutely identified one possible cause – eating too much in the way of carbs and not enough good protein can make a vegetarian OR a carnivore or a piscivore unhealthy. Like most things, it’s all about balance, and whatever you eat, you need to get a balance of the different food groups. Thanks Gary for reminding us how important a balanced diet is!

  • This will be a very unscientific comment, but my observations are that a balanced diet is important but that different foods affect different people differently and one needs to pay attention to how they feel when they eat!One person thrives on a paritcular diet, while another person sickens on the same food. Are we all artists, world class Scrabble players, ballroom dancers…NO! So eat a balanced diet that makes you thrive!
    Sonya Lenzo

  • You know I don’t personally know any vegetarian men, then again, my family are ranchers (yes, they raise the cow for selling). That is where I learned first about taking care of our land, after all, our land was our business. Not to say they are “green” as they use chemicals and medications but they don’t use excess, you don’t throw trash around, you keep the water clean, etc.

    Like Sonya pointed out, everyone’s different, listen to your body. I tend to want to eat lighter in the summer, more fruits, veggies and dairy. In the winter, I want meat. Perhaps I haven’t evolved. 😀

    • Absolutely Suzanne! I think it makes sense to eat lighter foods in summer and heavier foods in winter. Everyone is indeed different, and eating what works and is healthy for you is definitely the right thing. Which is why I don’t like to think that some men may be cautious about changing to vegetarianism because of the associations, that’s a real shame, we should be able to eat what we want and is good for us.

  • Hey Clare,
    Thank you for this informative article. I was brought up by a natropath & chiropractor, who believed in being vegetarian, my dad was 87 when he died with no medication till he was admitted to a nursing home for his last 12 months. It seemed like the medication was a sedative to help? My brothers both vegetarians their 4 sons 6ft 3-4 tall and my husband and son, I believe choosing the right foods are a vital link to health as Sunny said, choosing the best foods for you. While I was caregiving, I didn’t even look at what I was choosing to put in my mouth, just surviving, as a result, I chose too much food and not enough exercise.
    Looking forward to tomorrow!

    • Wow Annie, those are such great examples of vegetarianism working! I’m so pleased to read about people not worrying about stereotypes and instead eating what works for them (which was the point of my article). Thanks for sharing these wonderful insights!

  • I too have known some vegetarian men, and even some vegan men. One in particular who is well-known in the the raw foods scene, Sergei Boutenko.

    We went on a backpack trip with him through Oregon, and I never once thought of him as being different than other meat eating guys. That thought never occurred to me. He is, though, very healthy.

    I agree with Sonya. You have to find what works for you as there is no one diet that fits all.

    • I’m glad you know vegetarian men and view them positively – perhaps the survey didn’t interview the right people? 🙂 Thanks for your comment!

  • Clare,
    Everybody has the right not to be vegetarian. I personally perceive vegetarian men more positively. May be more spiritually advanced. Only an opinion.

    • Absolutely Margarita! We should all be able to eat as we wish without stigma. “More spiritually advanced” I hadn’t thought of that, thanks!

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