I'm Vegan Documentary Gets to the Meat of the Much Maligned Lifestyle

Some folks believe that it's okay to hate vegans. As a result, vegans are goaded and called annoying and even accused of smelling like incense.

Enter filmmakers Eric Prescott, Spencer Campo, and Matthew Goodwin. This vegan trio are behind a new documentary project called, simply enough, "I'm Vegan": "A series of short documentary profiles that will feature vegans from all walks of life. The project is being produced to address preconceptions about vegans and veganism."

Preconceptions? So that's what they're called, huh? According to the Hippy Shopper, such "preconceptions" include: Vegans are anemic, have no fashion sense, live on rabbit food, love animals more than people, and most of all, vegans have a chip on their shoulders.

And yeah, they smell like incense.

So, how can "I'm Vegan" help rescue your average misunderstood plant eater? As Prescott told Veg News, the project "isn't designed to beat you over the head with all the reasons you should be vegan, or all the things that are wrong with using and consuming animals (though of course it will be impossible to avoid these topics)." Calling it "more ethnography than propaganda," Prescott says the idea is to "normalize veganism by demystifying it, by portraying a diverse array of vegans that bust stereotypes and connect with viewers on a personal level."

5 Tidbits of Veganly Advice:

1. Try not to smell like incense.

2. Upload a video to "I'm Vegan."

3. Check out some easy vegan recipes.

4. Get freaky. The gang at Vegan Freak explain: "It is patently clear that if you consciously separate yourself from others through everyday choices about food and other aspects of your life, you're going to be viewed differently by those around you. This difference isn't something you should run from. On the contrary, you should embrace this freakdom, be at home with it, and fully own it, not only for your own sanity, but also for the efficacy of building a vegan social movement as a whole. This ownership of your vegan freakdom is also the first and most critical step towards keeping you a happy vegan and building genuine vegan community."

5. Stay strong like Isa. In the words of the inimitable Isa Chandra Moskowitz: "Eating animals is never sustainable and never environmentally friendly and never humane. Just quit it. Stop with the mishegos and get real."

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