Why Feminists MUST Be Vegan: A Stand Against All Forms of Oppression

Why Feminists MUST Be Vegan: A Stand Against All Forms of Oppression

Veganism is not just a diet—it is an urgent call to end the violence and exploitation that pervades every corner of our world. As feminists, we cannot turn a blind eye to the horrors happening right under our noses. It’s time to confront the brutal truth that we are living in a world where beings—human and non-human alike—are being treated as commodities, their lives reduced to nothing more than products to be used, abused, and discarded.

The animal agriculture industry is a machine built on cruelty, one that inflicts unimaginable pain, suffering, and death on over 200 million animals every single day. Female animals, in particular, bear the brunt of this exploitation. The systems of oppression that dominate the animal industry are eerily similar to the systems that have historically and continue to oppress women. Female animals, their reproductive systems brutalized and exploited, endure a fate that mirrors the atrocities women face in a patriarchal society.

When we look at the brutality of the meat industry, we are confronted with a sickening reality. Female animals are raped, mutilated, and tortured—only to be slaughtered, their bodies turned into products for consumption. Mothers and children both consumed. And who profits from this horrific abuse? Men. It is only men who have been able to create a system so vile, so corrupt, that it forces millions of sentient beings to live and die in fear and pain. Only men could create something so heinous.

If all women knew what happened in these slaughterhouses, if they truly saw the suffering behind every bite of meat, the end of slaughterhouses would happen overnight. The patriarchy depends on our ignorance. It thrives on our complacency. But when women open their eyes to the truth, many of them turn to veganism. Why? Because, as women, we know what it feels like to be exploited, to be stripped of our agency, to have our bodies used as tools for profit. And when we see the suffering of these animals, we can’t unsee it. We can’t unfeel it.

And yet, despite this knowledge, we still see women pressured back into meat consumption by the weight of societal expectations. The messages from the patriarchy are loud and clear—meat is power, meat is status. But no, it’s not. It’s a tool of oppression. It’s a violent practice that sustains the very system that seeks to control and exploit us, that seeks to silence our voices. Meat is oppression. It is blood on our hands.

The argument that animals are not “equal” to humans is not the point here. No one is claiming that animals deserve to have the same rights as humans. But when we witness the horrific cruelty that takes place in factory farms, we must ask ourselves: how much suffering is too much? How much pain should we allow? And at what point do we say no more?

Let me paint you a picture: Imagine the worst suffering humans have ever experienced. The trauma, the abuse, the emotional and physical pain. The exploitation, the objectification. Now imagine that, times a million. That’s what happens to animals in the meat industry. That’s the reality they live every single day. Their suffering is real, their pain is real, and we—WE—are complicit in it. This is not about comparing suffering or demeaning human suffering—it’s about recognizing how much suffering there is in our world.

There is no excuse. The oppression of women and animals are interconnected—both are rooted in the same destructive system of patriarchal power. A power that tells us that our bodies are not ours, that we are here to be used, to be consumed, to be destroyed. But we—women, humans—can change this. We can make the world a better place, not just for ourselves, but for all beings who suffer in silence.

Veganism is not just a lifestyle. It’s a movement. A fight for justice. A stand against the oppressive structures that govern our world. It’s about acknowledging the pain of others, recognizing our shared humanity (and animality), and doing something to stop the cycle of suffering. Veganism is kindness. It’s compassion. It’s love.

So, this Thanksgiving, let us make a stand. Let us look beyond our plates and ask ourselves what kind of world we want to build. Do we want a world built on violence, on cruelty, on exploitation? Or do we want a world where compassion, kindness, and justice reign supreme?

We are the ones who can make that change. We are the ones who can bring an end to this horrific cycle. Veganism is our stand. Let us choose it, not just for ourselves, but for the animals, for the world, for a brighter, more compassionate future.

Let us choose veganism—today, tomorrow, and always. Let us choose to break free from the chains of exploitation, and let us build a world of equality, empathy, and respect for all living beings. The time is now. The choice is ours. ♀