Are there fat vegans? Yes. And you can be one too.

It's been nearly eleven months since I started this blog. Thinking about where I intend to go with it in the next year led me to carefully examine my site statistics. What I found made me realize that there was an important question that I needed to answer.

You see, what I found was that the most popular article on this blog, accounting for a whopping 14% of total traffic over the past year, was Fat Vegans: Why We Matter. It has 3.5 times as many reads as the next most popular article. 

Of course, that could theoretically have been because it was linked to by at least one prominent vegan author. So I took a closer look at the search terms leading people to my blog. Here's what that showed:

Top 5 Keyword Searches for IAVM

5. fat vegan
4. roasted beet kale salad
3. are there fat vegans
2. chocolate cherry dump cake
1. fat vegans

Yes, three of the top five terms leading to this site seem to be from people wondering if this elusive creature actually exists. Is there really such a thing? Or is this the vegetarian community's version of Big Foot?

So, Curious Googlers, this post is for you! Here is the answer to the question you're pondering: Yes, there are fat vegans. That's a real thing. And yes, you can be one too. 

Up until now, you may've believed that all vegans were skinny and that the vegan community would judge you and harangue you if you tried to join their ranks. Be comforted! The reports of our militant requirements for "membership" are grossly exaggerated. The only requirement you have to meet to be welcomed into the vegan community is to stop eating or using animal products. Aside from that, you can be fat, thin, tall, short, quiet, loud, or anything else you are and no one will care.

Well, not "no one." I won't lie to you. I once got into an argument with a fellow vegan online who was offended that I didn't think my fatness made me a bad person who needed to be ashamed. And PCRM did make those ridiculous ads. But by and large (no pun intended), we fat folk are made welcome in the vegan community! Yes, I get the occasional look of surprise when I meet new vegan friends, but then they hug me and we sit down to talk about how much we love otters or what the best vegan mayo is and they immediately forget that I didn't look like they expected me to look.

See, here's the thing: the vegan community is built on compassion. It's what we're all about. So if you're thinking about trying out this vegan thing, don't let the relative size of your body determine the relative amount of your love for all living things. Just go for it - be a big, fat vegan with a big, fat vegan heart!