Cool fashion

1658: 

Vegans want people to change their attitude towards using animals. We're not just attempting to  bring about a changed attitude amongst family and friends, we want it amongst LOTS of people. We're aiming for change on a grand scale.

The most likely reason why people will change is if they think it’s in their best interests. For example, they’ll be willing to change in order to keep abreast of fashion - no one likes being old-fashioned. Neither do they want to be seen as anything but ‘normal’ - normalcy helps us hold down a job and keeps a certain reputation within the group. If we want to seem cool, we’ll keep up with the latest hairstyles or clothing, to keep pace with fashion and therefore peer acceptance.

         

So when it comes to a radical change of lifestyle, like going vegan, it might seem like social suicide, to voluntarily act in such a different way to our friends and family. We might hope to persuade friends to follow suit, but to go vegan means, at first, to go it alone. Our aim would be to lead a fashion, and this requires some bravery. Ultimately, though, it needs a cool enough head to strike out into the unknown territory of new fashion - leading fashion not following it. It's relatively easy with a new hairstyle, but a whole different eating regime, based on ethical principles, calls for some considerable strength of character. And then, it requires us to consider our approach to others, to attract them to change in the same way.

         

Although veganism is being practised by ever more young people these days, we know that ‘shaming’ people into dropping their animal-eating habits won’t inspire them to change. But what might move them is their fear of falling behind a growing fashion. Once people feel that there is a trend towards compassionate eating, they might want to get in early, to be ahead of the crowd.

         

If we try to use ‘guilt’ to get people to change, they might oblige us, initially, but it’s likely not to be a permanent change. It’ll weaken back to nothing over time. Whereas, if the ‘coming fashion’ is overlaid with sound ethical reasoning, it's likely to have a much more powerful effect on personal habits and stand a better chance of escaping the gravitational pull of convention.