The Sexual Politics of Meat

1. Meat is a Patriarchal Construct, Not a Biological Necessity

Meat eating measures individual and societal virility.

Cultural Imposition. The idea that meat is essential for strength and masculinity is a cultural construct, not a biological imperative. This belief is reinforced through textbooks, cookbooks, and media, associating meat with virility and male power. This association is not natural but a learned behavior.

Gendered Food. Meat is often positioned as a "man's food," while vegetables are relegated to women. This division is evident in historical food distribution, where men received the majority of meat, and in contemporary cookbooks that feature meat dishes for men and vegetable dishes for women. This is a social construct, not a biological need.

Racist Underpinnings. The association of meat with power extends to racism, with white cultures often viewing meat as a superior food and plant-based diets as inferior. This reinforces a hierarchy of race, class, and sex, where meat is seen as the food of the dominant. This is a social construct, not a biological need.

2. The Absent Referent: How Meat Hides Animal Suffering

Behind every meal of meat is an absence: the death of the animal whose place the meat takes.

The Vanishing Act. The term "meat" acts as an absent referent, obscuring the fact that it was once a living animal. This linguistic trick allows us to consume animal flesh without confronting the reality of death and suffering. The animal is made absent through language.

Metaphorical Appropriation. The suffering of animals is often used as a metaphor for human suffering, particularly for women who say they feel like "a piece of meat." This appropriation further erases the animal's experience, making it a tool for understanding human oppression. The animal is made absent through metaphor.

Butchering as Paradigm. The act of butchering, with its dismemberment and fragmentation, is a key process in creating the absent referent. It allows us to separate the meat from the animal, making consumption possible. The animal is made absent through the act of butchering.

3. Language Masks Violence and Mutes Vegetarian Voices

We have no language that is free of the power dualisms of domination.

Euphemisms and Objectification. Language is used to distance us from the reality of meat eating through euphemisms like "beef" and "pork," which obscure the fact that these were once living beings. Animals are objectified as "its," further erasing their individuality. Language is used to mask violence.

Muting Vegetarianism. Vegetarian voices are often muted by a dominant culture that views meat eating as normal and natural. Vegetarians are labeled as emotional, sentimental, or "womanish," and their concerns are trivialized. Vegetarian voices are muted by the dominant culture.

The Power of Naming. Vegetarians challenge the dominant discourse by coining new terms like "animalized protein" and "feminized protein," which expose the violence and exploitation inherent in meat and dairy production. New naming is a form of resistance.

4. The Intertwined Oppression of Women and Animals

Through the structure of the absent referent, patriarchal values become institutionalized.

Overlapping Oppressions. The oppression of women and animals is linked through a structure of overlapping absent referents. Cultural images of sexual violence often rely on our knowledge of how animals are butchered, and vice versa. The structure of the absent referent links violence against women and animals.

The Cycle of Violence. A cycle of objectification, fragmentation, and consumption connects violence against women and animals. Both are objectified, dismembered, and consumed, either literally or metaphorically. This cycle is a key component of patriarchal culture.

Male Violence and Animals. Batterers, rapists, and serial killers often have a history of violence against animals, demonstrating a link between the abuse of women and animals. This link is often ignored by the dominant culture.

5. Feminist-Vegetarianism: A Challenge to Dominance

Vegetarianism is in fact deeply proactive and transformative.

Rejecting Male Power. Vegetarianism, especially when adopted by women, is a rejection of male dominance and the patriarchal values associated with meat eating. It is a way of reclaiming autonomy and challenging the status quo. Vegetarianism is a form of resistance.

Expanding the Moral Circle. Feminism and vegetarianism both challenge the limited moral circle of patriarchal culture, which excludes women and animals. They seek to create a more inclusive and compassionate world. Vegetarianism is a form of compassion.

Interconnected Struggles. The struggles for women's liberation and animal liberation are interconnected, as both groups are often objectified, exploited, and silenced by patriarchal structures. These struggles are not separate but intertwined.

6. The Vegetarian Body: A Rejection of Patriarchal Norms

The process of viewing another as consumable, as something, is usually invisible to us.

Beyond the Physical. The concept of the "vegetarian body" encompasses both the physical body and the body of literature that supports vegetarianism. It is a rejection of the idea that humans are naturally carnivorous. The vegetarian body is a concept that includes both the physical and the intellectual.

Physiological Arguments. Vegetarians often argue that humans are physiologically predisposed to a plant-based diet, citing evidence from our teeth, saliva, and digestive systems. This challenges the notion that meat is a biological necessity. The vegetarian body is a physiological argument.

Health and Ethics. The vegetarian body is not only about physical health but also about ethical choices. It is a way of aligning one's diet with one's values, rejecting a culture built on violence and exploitation. The vegetarian body is an ethical choice.

7. The Vegetarian Quest: Revelation, Naming, Rebuke

The vegetarian quest consists of: the revelation of the nothingness of meat, naming the relationships one sees with animals, and finally, rebuking a meat eating and patriarchal world.

The Revelation. The vegetarian quest begins with a revelation of the "nothingness of meat," a realization that meat is not just food but the result of a violent process that transforms living beings into dead objects. This is a moment of awakening.

Naming Relationships. The second step involves naming the relationships between humans and animals, recognizing the interconnectedness of all living beings and the injustice of meat eating. This is a moment of understanding.

Rebuking the System. The final step is rebuking a meat-eating world, challenging the dominant culture and its values through the practice of vegetarianism. This is a moment of action.

8. Re-membering Texts and Animals: A Feminist-Vegan Vision

Ultimately women, who often find themselves in muted dialogue with the dominant culture, become the source for insights into the oppression of animals.

Challenging the Canon. Feminist-vegetarian theory challenges traditional literary and historical canons by recognizing the importance of vegetarianism in women's lives and writings. It seeks to re-member texts and animals.

Bearing the Vegetarian Word. Women writers often "bear the vegetarian word" by including vegetarian characters, themes, and allusions in their works, challenging the dominant discourse of meat. This is a form of resistance.

A Vision of Wholeness. By uniting feminist and vegetarian insights, we can create a vision of a world that is more just, compassionate, and sustainable, a world that honors the interconnectedness of all living beings. This is a vision of hope.

Last updated: April 12, 2025