Alicia Silverstone’s admission to cheating on vegan diet harmful to the cause (thisdishisvegetarian.com)

As this post says, Alicia’s actions are magnified because of her position in society. It is this position that I was trying to discuss in my post, but I guess I missed the mark.

Of course, the comments section on that post is mixed as well, and they also post another article with an alternate view:

Alicia Silverstone cheats on vegan diet with dairy as her downfall (thisdishisvegetarian.com)

So, it’s not that I’m shocked that Alicia is not perfect. The problem and concern I have is what such a senseless action as nibbling on cheese just to avoid being “icy” will have on the media who already prefer to play vegans as the preachy, staunch buzzkills. Sure, it may allow a few vegans and veg folk to relax when they slip as well, but what about all those people who will wonder if there is really any conviction to our actions if one of the more well-known vegans in the world admits to not being able to avoid eating a piece of cheese at a party?

Honestly, how hard is it to reach for the crackers instead? Sure, they may not be vegan, but claiming ignorance is a lot less dicey than simply choosing to ignore so much that you have educated people about in the past.

Alicia Silverstone Admits She ‘Cheats’ Sometimes On Vegan Diet (ecorazzi.com)

The comment section on their page is of course just a sample of the feedback this little admission is getting from folks. As a high-profile celebrity who has supported the healthier living cause, and more specifically the vegan/animal rights cause, Alicia openly admitting to trying cheese at a party seems to be the collision of two things I have touched on in the past:

CEOs and celeb vegans

and

Are vegans extinct?

“Being flexible that way makes more people comfortable. If I’m rigid about it and I’m perfect, then no one is going to be able to be like me because I’ll be this icey, rigid thing.”

Although I can agree with Alicia to some degree about the importance of being somewhat flexible about one’s stance on diet, animal rights, etc… I have to admit that I feel her celebrity status, and profiting from the vegan identity, places a little more weight on her being a “perfect” person. I know, celebrities are people too, but when those people are fighting or representing causes that are already ridiculed by the media (albeit less and less these days) their actions are all the fodder a tabloid needs to take a bite out of veganism or whatever cause they admit to cheating on every now and then.

So, what do you think? Does everyone deserve a Get Out of Jail Free card when they don the vegan cap or do they lose that privilege once they step out in front of a camera and publicize what’s on their plate?