Is vegetarianism sexist?
I don’t know, but Taco Bell certainly is.
I’m sure many of you have seen the absurd new commercial for Taco Bell’s Bacon Club Chalupa, a delectable 490-calorie chicken and bacon snack. In the ad, two girls sit in a bar attempting to get attention from guys, when one shares that she has the bacon treat in her clutch. “Guys love bacon,” she explains, and a swarm of hunky men surround her seconds later.
Guys love bacon?
It’s no secret that our society puts an emphasis on men loving meat, and Taco Bell is not the only one to blame. In fact, it sprouts from our age-old gender roles. Not only were our male ancestors the “hunters” who killed to provide for the family, but meat is thought to be inherently manly. Meat equals protein, and protein makes muscles. Salads are not manly, and tofu is certainly not going to help you get big muscles, right?
Wrong.
Sadly, many, many people subscribe to this mentality. In fact, men only constitute about one third of the roughly 12 million vegetarians in the United States.
Our society tells men that it is not socially acceptable to be a vegetarian. The message is that it’s just not a manly thing to do. But I want to know why?
Men don’t have to hunt for their food anymore. So it’s time to let go of that mentality. And in regards to the muscle thing? Do your research. Vegetarianism has contributed to some of the strongest, fittest, manliest men in the world.
Did you know that Bill Pearl, one of the world’s most famous bodybuilders, is a vegetarian? Talk about muscles.
Super athlete Dave Scott holds the record for the most Iron Man World Championships with six wins. That’s right, he dominated one of the most physically demanding competitions in the world six times as a vegetarian. The list goes on and on. In fact, you can check out our celebrities archive for an ever-expanding list.
The fact is, “real men” care about their health, and have compassion for the world. Whether we like it or not, the world is changing, and it’s time that the old-fashioned ideas to hit the road, and take the bacon with them!
4 Comments
armharm (1 comments)
July 22, 2010 at 4:10 pmI hate that commercial too! I didnt know about Bill Pearl but thats pretty cool.
Chia (324 comments)
July 26, 2010 at 7:52 pmHi melissakz, thanks for sharing. I haven’t seen that commercial, but I agree that, it’s time to “take the bacon with them” those old fashioned ideas that serve no purpose to the advancement of humanity and all its relations (the animals, the trees, the starts…). I like the way you write, it’s very personable and easy to read. And the title certainly is catchy! Look forward to more of your blogs!
Fritz (1 comments)
July 30, 2010 at 9:42 amWow, just hearing about that commercial makes me glad there’s no Taco Bell here!
Jimbomatic (1 comments)
July 31, 2010 at 2:23 pmI’m offended by that commercial on so many levels:
1. It assumes that in order to be a “real man”, I have to like bacon.
2. It assumes that I can be swayed to a woman by the food she provides.
3. It assumes that I would be interested in a woman so shallow as to believe in 1 & 2.