Sexiest Vegetarians Named By PETA (PHOTOS, POLL)

PETA has announced the winners of its "Sexiest Vegetarian Next Door" contest, in which attractive vegetarians were photographed and voted upon by the Internet.

No word on how the contestants proved that they were vegetarians, which I'm curious about, but I'm forced to believe it when reading that the winning female, Amber, "decided to go vegetarian after reading the book Skinny Bitch."

I do not think that someone would make that up.

Monty, the winning male, has a slightly more typical-sounding story: He "initially switched to a vegetarian diet for health reasons, but after he learned how factory farming affects animals and the environment, his convictions were reinforced, and he recently went vegan."

Quick Poll

Are these the sexiest vegetarians you've ever seen?

Yes.

All vegetarians are sexy.

She would be sexier if she were vegan.

There are sexier vegetarians at my co-op.

No.

Share your vote on Facebook so your friends can take this poll

Comments

[markinaz]

I'd love to be a vegetarian, but I just can't do it. A nice juicy cheeseburger and McDonalds filet-o-fish are just 2 things I can't live without.

[nimblehuman]

I feel you, my desert-dwelling brother :)

[IndianaJohn]

Live by the cheeseburger, die by the cheeseburger.

[Jamesgunpowder]

Why would any free-thinking person care about the opinions of such a harebrained and flippant group as PETA?

[JeanRR]

I can tell you why I worry about PETA, even though they are a bunch of nut cases.
1) They have engineered and are leading a campaign to do away with pet ownership. Their tactics include mandatory spay/neuter laws to enforce their "one generation and then out" policy.
2) PETA funnels money to terrorist organizations such a ELF. These groups are quite dangerous.
3) PETA uses its bully pulpit and considerable monetary resources to attack science and scientists who are working to find cures for many diseases.

[VegetableMan]

1). no
2). no
3). test on humans. animal tests are worthless, because even if they lead somewhere, which is not always the case, tests then have to be carried out ON HUMANS.

[katekid]

Sexiest vegetables would be more interesting. Yawn.

[FessorFrink]

I am far from an expert on PETA and being a vegeterian/vegan (then get the he// out of here. Easy, other voice in my head). I think we can make good, smart changes in our life to be better to our environment if we are carnivores.

There are free range animals, hormone-free, grass-fed cows. Grass feeding reduces methane; over 20x worse than CO2. If we can just cut back a bit on the meat and help the environment more. It is so costly to raise and slau ghter a cow, we have to take some self control of our lives.

I do not want to cut people off from what they like and I wish the healthier choices were cheaper for us consumers, but we have to make some changes. Just like the Billy Joel song "I Loved These Days", "We're going wrong, we're gaining weight, we're sleeping long and far too late". Time to change our jadey ways.

Peace

[VegetableMan]

what part of THOU SHALT NOT KILL don't you meat eaters get?

[JonShank]

Do you kill bugs? Mosquitos? Ever check your windshield?

[sunnybunny]

Many animals are carnivores and omnivores humans are among them. It is part of nature- the food chain. What I find way more disturbing is the campaign to spay and neuter. Considering their philosophies, I don't get why PETA is so OK with it . IT IS CRUEL.Plain and simple. I mean seriously - hysterectomies and castration as a form of birth control??? A substantial amount of an animals inherent fundamental natural social behaviour (and a dog's status within the pack) is directly and indirectly related to their sexuality. How selfish and egotistical do we have to be to condone altering another individual to the point that it eliminates a significant source of satisfaction in their lives for the sake of our convenience? I understand why it is practical and sometimes neccesary - but for that matter so is wearing fur and eating meat.

[rankola]

http://www.beyondveg.com/nicholson-w/hb/hb-interview1b.shtml#paleo%20m-eating%20evid

Just in case you bring up the "we were herbivores before we were omnivores" arguments

[chefmike]

OK so you do not want animals slaughtered for food... how about when they die of old age? Can I eat them then? You know humans did not claw their way to the top of the food chain just to eat veggies. Vegetables, if I did not know they were good for me I would never worry about eating another one!

[VegetableMan]

you must be one f&ck of a chef, then.

[FosterMom]

As a devoted animal rescuer, I cannot give my support to P.E.T.A.

I do not understand how a group claiming to be "People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals" could support Breed Specific Legislation (which Ingrid Newkirk has consistently endorsed). How is it ethical to call for the elimination of a maligned breed that has higher temperament testing scores (ratings available online by the American Temperament Test Society) than the Collie, the Golden Retriever, and the Poodle (just to name a few)?

How does eradicating a canine breed prevent an unwanted behavior in humans? If you ban the most commonly used gun, do you stop shootings from happening? Or do the individuals who used that weapon find another one or obtain the same one illegally? Here this means, if you take away the Pit Bull (a dog bred from its origins to be social towards humans and nicknamed the 'nanny dog' in England), there are dozens of other stronger, bigger, less-social breeds to choose from.

In this case, they're punishing the victims of abuse as opposed to those perpetrating the abuse.

http://www.realpitbull.com/peta.html

[cjbprime]

Here's my attempt to answer the common themes in this thread :)

1. Yes, PETA is annoying and sexist.
2. Being vegetarian isn't necessarily healthier than eating meat, unless you're obese and at risk for heart disease, in which case it's a good idea. A random person who eats meat is not "much more likely to die of cancer" or anything silly like that.
3. Being vegetarian isn't at all unhealthy. There are around 500 million vegetarians in India. The idea that they all must be malnourished and eating suboptimally is an incredibly offensive presumption to make.
4. Most people don't decide to be vegetarian for health reasons, though -- some just protest factory farming (and so might eat humanely-raised meat), some go farther and never eat meat, some go farther still and think any kind of "slavery" relationship between humans and animals is morally wrong.
5. The "our evolution suggests that we eat meat therefore it doesn't matter how we treat animals" excuse is ridiculous, as is "Other animals kill each other all the time, so it must be okay". Our evolution also suggests that we should act selfishly most of the time, engage in power struggles, enslave people different from us given the opportunity, and generally act in ways that are obviously repugnant to anyone with a sense of ethics. Evolution won't tell us how to act morally; we have to work it out for yourself, using your superior intellect and rationality.

There. How'd I do? :)

[IndianaJohn]

2/3's of Americans are obese or overweight.

[A Meat Beetle]

"Most people don't decide to be vegetarian for health reasons..."

I did. When I found out what goes on in the meat industry I decided once and for all that I didn't want that sh*t (literally, in some cases) going into my body.

[vagabondvet]

If you don't like chemicals being sprayed on your tomatoes, what do you think is used for fertilizer?

Aversion of feces fail.

[Texas Aggie]

How can you tell if the chick is sexy on just half a picture. Are her legs not shown for some reason? Like sticks? Like pillows?

And anyhow, just because she looks good doesn't mean she's sexy. That takes actual experience.

[colorperdaughter]

Being a vegetarian for over 25 years and a feminist for 30, I find PETA's objectification of people as objects of beauty offensive. As many comments below indicate, PETA's antics invites riducule, and well deserved in my humble opinion. There is nothing even remotely cutesy about factory farming and the suffering of animals, PETA trivializes the suffering with all this rot.

[Eriq]

err... Did you happen to notice that MEN were included in this beauty pageant? I am sick and tired of hearing tired, 1960s feminist activists scream about "objectification." It's no longer in vogue, because men are included in those beauty-rants, so get over it, out-moded lady! Deal with reality, rather than your sweet memories of the 1970s feminism. This is 2009, okay? I happen to love the fact that men can participate in choosing to make themselves objects of beauty, and that is largely thanks to the feminist movement. Times have changed, grandma.

[colorperdaughter]

I said objectification of people. Using "sexy people" to promote their ideas makes PETA look way more retrograde and pre-1970's. As an aside, the degrading of feminists as grandma's and so on is part of this current childish mindset.

[southwindow]

"objectification of people as objects"
redundant much?
PETA has done more to end that scourge of industrialized farming than a thousand of your ilk.
save your prudish criticisms for and organization more deserving of them.

[cjbprime]

Agreed. It really bothers me that they can claim to see a liberation issue in the case of animals, but don't have any problems with equating women with objects for sex.

[freethehens]

I guess I'm more offended by animal abuse.

PETA may use these tactics to get their name out there (and it works), but they do an amazing job at gathering information. I hope everyone checks out their website at www.peta.org to get a larger picture of their work on behalf of animals.

[Sandeelion]

Newkirk said it herself "Any publicity is good publicity." I personally do not agree with a lot of PETA's tactics and I hate that they are the most recognizable and memorable (?) animal organization. People usually equate any animal rights person with PETA.

[poiuyty]

How about Michelle Obama? Sure she may not be vegetarian, but did you see her dress yesterday?

[bookon]

Vegetarians are often sexy, but Vegans mostly look pale and unhealthy. I wonder why?

[freethehens]

Maybe the same reason meat eaters look pale and unhealthy - not eating properly? You can be a vegan and eat only french fries - and be unhealthy.

I know lots of vegans and they ALL look healthy to me. Since vegans only make up like 2.8% of the population, how many vegans do you actually know?

[bookon]

I live in Burlington Vermont. I know MANY. They all have a grey pall to their skin... The healthiest people I know all eat some chicken and fish and avoid other meats.

[wilray]

One of the funnier aspects of the meat / veggie divide occurs when someone self righteously announce that they don't use products made from animals. They point out how they eschew leather in favor of synthetics. even showing you their plastic shoes. Then they drive off in their gasoline powered vehicle. I kind of chuckle softly inside. I mean why tell them. And of course, why check the list of ingredients in the shampoo or lotion bottle - just check the bottle.

[bunnyv]

It's about eliminating the things you can. obviously people need to drive and everything comes in plastic, though more and more companies are turning to alternatives. I'm so tired of people making it an all or nothing issue. Just like recycling; you may not be saving the world but you're doing what you can.

By the way. in my experience, it is other people who make an issue out of someone not eating meat/using animal products. Non-veg tend to be quite defensive about it, automatically assuming that a vegetarian is judging them. Trust me, most of the time they're not. They just want to go about their business like anyone else.

[Vickster]

It's been my experience that some vegans and vegetarians will bring up their dietary choices because they want to force a debate. If I shrug my shoulders and reply with a live and let live live response, they'll insist veganism or vegetarianism is the only acceptable diet.

[fauxmccoy]

if you call the fake turkey made if tofu 'tofurkey' what do you call the fake duck???

a friend once asked me this as we were freezing our buns off in a walk in cooler stocking enough feed for them wacky thanksgiving celebrators one year.

[jimmyjones22]

I don't know how you survive on veggies alone. Even supplimented with fish, the food just simply isn't very filling. Even after a big meal of veggies i'm still hungry. There simply is no good substitute for red meat.

[freddiefranks]

Beans, carrots, potatoes, eggs (if you'll allow yourself that). Can't promise you'll like the taste in general, but it will fill you, more so than meat actually. You just tend to at less of it.

[Xyler Astro]

Tofu, tempeh, seitan, tvp, etc... I can make anything vegan and make it taste better than meat.

[Jay818]

xtina804 , we are all part of the food chain.....that is nature......What is the seal here for? To eat fish and to be eaten by larger fish or killer whales.....What other purpose does it have? We are all part of the bigger picture and animals when eaten properly and in moderation are still the best source of protein....No one can dispute that, no matter how hard they try. That is scientifically proven...It is also proven that soy proteins can have negative effects on males.

Not all animals are fed hormones and bad steroids....Just not true...There are plenty of places to get grass fed, organic meats......So, if you are trying to stay away from additives, there are solutions for you, other then just rejecting the idea of eating meat. You can get kosher meat to ensure the animal was killed humainly.....

Don't spread rhetoric and offer no alternatives, other than the choice you have made for YOURSELF.

I monitor myself and try to eat less red meat, because it can be bad when eaten too often. I stay with mercury-less fish and poultry as much as I can. However, there is nothing like a good steak, in my opinion. and "milk, it does a body good....pass it on"

[Xyler Astro]

Milk does not do a body good. We are the only mammels that drink milk after the infancy stage and most people, and I'm willing to bet you, are allergic to it. Not many people on this planet are actually lactose tolerant.

[Vickster]

Cats and dogs will drink milk after infancy if they can get it. So will pigs. And I've even had a few adult goats who will sneak sips from other does.

Also, most people descended from ethnic groups who have been relying on dairy foods for the last ten thousand years are lactose tolerant.

[Xyler Astro]

**mammals** (da@@ typing too fast)