Are Vegans Becoming Mainstream? I Sure Hope So!

I, like many, thoroughly enjoyed this weekends episode of Saturday Night Live.  The hosts were amazing and there were a lot of excellent skits.  Now, my love of Saturday Night Live isn’t something I’d usually express here on our Holistic Beauty and Wellness Blog…but as I was laughing through the night, I realized I was struck on a whole other level by Justin Timberlake’s skit “Bring it On Down to Veganville.”

Of course it was another hilarious song by JT for Saturday Night Live, but, not only that, it was about eating vegan.  Being vegan has been mentioned in popular culture before this, and even explored through comedy, but, what caught my eye specifically is that this time, the vegan was the cool one!!

Usually vegans are the butt of the joke – and while those jokes are often funny (and I can definitely laugh at myself), the fact that vegans have been portrayed this way showes it was still a “fringe lifestyle choice”, not a mainstream one.  But, that’s not what happened on SNL this time.  Justin Timberlake is tellin’ that sausage guy how it is, and, by the end, even the sausage man is “Headin’ on Down to Veganville.”  Veganville is a cool place, where everyone wants to go!

Is this a signal animal rights are really, finally taking hold in our culture?  I sure hope so!

After all, it’s not just me being impressed; this recent skit by Justin Timberlake is being discussed at length this week.  And, not only that, the European Union just banned animal testing this week as well.  But that’s just this week.   Morrissey made headlines for refusing to be on the Jimmy Kimmel show with the Duck Hunters a few weeks ago.  Many celebrities and professional athletes are making headlines for adopting a vegan diet too.  Plus, there are more vegan restaurants and even “fast food” options available than ever before!

Maybe it’s silly, but, being from a culture that seems to often embrace ideas and practices that don’t really resonate with me I’m delighted to see that veganism is at least being discussed with increasing frequency, and, from what I see, with more acceptance and support throughout the United States and the world than ever before.  I sure hope this awesome increase in people choosing a vegan lifestyle translates into another societal change too; animals, of ALL kinds, being treated with respect and dignity throughout their lives wherever they are on the planet.