A woman has seen a backlash after sharing a picture of her new tattoo which simply reads, ‘vegan’
A woman has had the word ‘vegan’ tattooed to her forehead in support of plant-based eating.
Kate Bullen shared online photos of her new ink, which she got on the right side of her head, just above her eyebrow.
Kate, from Preston in Lancashire, also got a suicide awareness symbol, a more common choice as people hope to challenge stigma around mental health.
“Got a suicide awareness and vegan tattoo today, love em”, said Kate.
Inevitably, Kate saw quite a backlash after she shared an image of her tattoo. Some of the abuse directed at Kate has been extremely harsh, but she’s standing by her decision to express her eating choices so candidly.
“I chose to get this tattoo as I’m incredibly passionate about veganism and know I’ll be vegan for life,” Kate told LADbible .
“Of course the tattoo on my face received quite a lot of negative reactions because people seem to get upset when they see the word ‘vegan’.
“I believe this upset comes from a feeling of defensiveness because I encourage them to think about the consequences of their actions.”
Kate also made a point about how the tattoo might restrict her employment chances. She dismissed these sentiments and said she’s been self-employed since 18.
Kate added that she decided to become vegan some years ago due to animal welfare and environmental issues.
She continued: “It saddens me that humans kill 56 billion land animals for food annually and pull over a trillion fish from the ocean.
“People are so detached from what they eat they forget that these are sentient beings who are capable of feeling pain and emotion just like us.”
Kate claimed too that she recently protested at a Manchester slaughterhouse and the sound of ‘pigs screaming and crying’ was one of the worst things she’s ever heard.
Kate’s tattoo was done by artist Jordan McCrea, also from Preston. We spoke to Jordan about the negativity surrounding the tattoo. She asked why so many people were so interested in a ‘word’.
Jordan also posted on Facebook in defence of the vegan idea.
“Who is anyone to take the piss out of what someone chooses to eat, never mind their reasons or what they do to show they’re proud of it,” she said.
“So f****** what if someone wants to get a vegan tattoo on their face.
“Although I am not vegan and will most likely never be one, I really respect her for fighting for what she believes in and being proud to show it off, and doing so without once pushing/trying to ‘convert me’ the way everyone seems to think all vegans do.”
