Why It’s Masculine to Care About Animals

Posted by Calvin on October 02, 2024

It’s clear that our generation cares about animals—but when you look at the stats, you’ll see a big gender disparity. One study shows that about 79% of vegans identify as women, and another survey states that among university students, women are more likely than men to care about animals.

As a vegan man, I can tell you that a big factor in this disparity is likely the belief that eating meat, hunting, and doing other things that harm animals are masculine and that caring about animals is feminine. 🤔 The desperate insults in the comments section of any post about vegan living on social media prove that these stigmas are strong—but they couldn’t be more wrong.

What Is Masculinity?

Masculinity, a set of qualities and behaviors that are generally associated with men, is influenced by both biological and cultural factors. It’s a tough concept to define, so people tend to just list characteristics like strength, courage, independence, and leadership. Compassion, collaboration, gentleness, and a sense of nurturing tend to be associated with femininity.

If this makes you raise an eyebrow, same. Humans of all genders can have any of these qualities—that’s just called having a personality. 🤷 But I still hear and see things all the time about how it isn’t “manly” to be vegan or care about animals, so it’s worth going over just how messed up these beliefs are.

Why Caring About Animals Is Masculine

If masculinity to you means strength, courage, independence, and leadership, nothing fits the bill better than animal advocacy. Standing up for the oppressed is an assertive act that takes mountains of strength and courage—especially when you know there are trolls locked in on their screens waiting to call you a “soy boy” for sharing a vegan post. 🙃 Nothing’s ever made me feel bolder than standing firm in my beliefs even when others have tried to shake them.

Speaking of strength and courage, consider the vegan path. Like most other animal advocates, I grew up using products that were tested on animals, drinking milk, and wearing leather. Once I learned the truth about how animals are exploited for these things, I had the guts to take action and try 🔥 vegan products and food and wear vegan clothing for the first time—and the strength to stick to my principles day after day, year after year.

Being an animal advocate in a sea of nonvegans makes me stand out from the crowd—I rely on myself to speak up for animals when no one else will. Plus, as one of the few vegan men I know, I feel like a trailblazer for setting an example of how to live without harming animals.

What About Empathy?

Empathy, the ability to understand and share the feelings of others, may be the #1 quality that makes someone an effective advocate—and it goes hand in hand with masculinity. 🤝 Think about the men in your life who are caring toward everyone regardless of their background. Humans can also take inspiration from amazing dads in nature: Gorillas play with their young and help them socialize, macaques will take care of babies who aren’t their own, and emperor penguins don’t eat or even move for months as they keep the eggs laid by females warm in the face of frigid Antarctic winds. 

Caring about others is as masculine as it gets. It takes strength and bravery to tear down the comfort zone of your own point of view, empathize with other animals, and embrace the pain you might feel. If you’re surrounded by men who bottle up their empathy, letting yours flow freely shows that you can chart your own path and help pave the way for others.

I feel extremely comfortable in my masculinity, and being part of the animal rights world is a big reason why. It’s boosted my sense of strength, independence, and empathy, which has led to more success in work, dating, fitness, and other areas of my life. 💪 If you want to bolster your masculinity, joining the animal rights movement is one of the best ways to do it—and we’d be amped to have you!

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Time to man up and go vegan—create a plan to ditch animal-derived foods and challenge yourself to stick to it until the job’s done. Get tips for success from our free “Guide to Going Vegan”: