People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has injected itself into the conversation on so-called toxic masculinity, following in Gillette's footsteps with its own bizarre male-themed ad reimagining genitalia as giant veggies.

The controversy-courting animal rights group seems to be equating veganism with manliness, but you'd be forgiven for missing that message in the video. The clip shows creepy-looking, sweaty men waggling and twirling comically large, phallic vegetables attached to their crotches, intercut with close-ups of those same vegetables flanked by veggie "testicles."

"Traditional" masculinity is DEAD. The secret to male sexual stamina is veggies. 😉 pic.twitter.com/51DUsqzyO3 — PETA (@peta) January 16, 2019

"Increase your sexual stamina. Go vegan," reads the ad's only text. Given all the bandwidth being spent on discussion of Gillette's controversial opus, one can't blame PETA for wanting to climb on the social-justice bandwagon, and the ad certainly doesn't waste any time beating around the bush.

It's hard to tell how PETA wants us to feel about masculinity: the vegetable-membered men include a car wash attendant, a tennis player, a businessman, and an old man who tenderly touches his "squash" while leering at said businessman. Oh, and Michelangelo's David, who gets enhanced with an eggplant – long recognized as the emoji for male genitalia.

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Perhaps anticipating such confusion, the group posted an article equating "traditional" masculinity with meat-eating – a capital crime in PETA's books. But not all is lost, since the guilty can "cure toxic masculinity by going vegan."

Twitter, barely recovered from the Gillette fiasco, wasn't having any of this veggie-diddling. The amateur fact-checkers got out their steak knives:

Fake news. Beef contains high levels of an amino acid L-Carnitine that is known to increase libido, boost sexual function and significantly raise testosterone levels in older men. This amino acid also helps to combat lethargy and increase stamina by burning triglycerides. pic.twitter.com/CFVSoBfAR5 — Gab.com (@getongab) January 16, 2019

Sorry peta but I've been on a carnivore diet for a year and my male stamina went back to what it was 15 years ago. Much better than when I was veggan. If you want to have strong male parts say #Yes2Meat ! — Jasy Bolduc (@as_nerd) January 17, 2019

Even the vegans were turned off:

Listen.I have the softest of soft spots for animals.I cry even when a cartoon bunny dies.If I could, I'd rescue every single animal that needs help.But you, PETA, you're a disgrace. I cannot and won't support you. — Barbara4u2c 🐿️ (@Barbara4u2) January 17, 2019

I'm a vegan, and I support PETA. But this video is really embarassing.. — cryptostudentforever (@shreycrypto) January 17, 2019

Advertising executives tried to debate the ad on its merits.

As an ad person, you gotta admit it has generated awareness and discussion in the issue/brand. I'm sure you also appreciate that sexual images have been used in advertising before, like everywhere, everyday. This one may be silly, but it works — spokes (@PublicShoes) January 17, 2019

The omnivores seemed to agree PETA had self-owned:

Now men are gonna boycott vegetables. — We the Internet TV (@WeTheInternetTV) January 16, 2019

Never in my life have I wanted vegetables less in my life, and I'm gay. pic.twitter.com/p5TlNh95av — Xanthius (@Xanthius101) January 17, 2019

Thanks for ruining vegetables, gonna go get me a steak now. — power restored, hull repairs at 82% (@Disco42duck) January 16, 2019

Even fans of the Gillette ad made fun of them:

Vegs: we should consume vegetables as they are better for health, morals and ecologyAnimalists: animals are feeling, living beings and should be respectedGillette: being a man should imply behaving like a civilized mature personPeta: big peepee is bery manly — guardia civil fan account (@Ranz_95) January 17, 2019

Others merely pointed out that that was perfectly good food they were rubbing all over their crotches.

You are a bunch of sick people. There are millions of people starving on this planet and here you are disrespecting and wasting what could be a poor child's meal by tying it onto your (much much much smaller) genitals thinking it makes you wiser men. Never donating to you again. — Imam Mohamad Tawhidi (@Imamofpeace) January 16, 2019

Is there a group that fights for the rights of vegetables that Peta systematically abuses? If so, sign me up for that. — sroute (@scenic_route819) January 16, 2019

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