PETA can be a great source for news and information. That being said, PETA doesn’t always know best. Recently this video has inflamed vegetarians and feminists alike.

I can see what PETA is getting at—that it’s possible for vegan men to be manly. Vegan men are especially emasculated by society (meat-eating is associated with masculinity and manliness). The boyfriend featured in this video embodies the stereotypes of vegan men—he’s scrawny, pale, and nerdy looking. But, his masculinity is recovered by his violent sexual power. This is where PETA made a mistake.

It was not and is not necessary to portray violence against women in order to dispel the emasculated vegan male stereotype. PETA has created an ad that reinforces and glorifies negative male behaviors at the expense of women. I’m left wondering how this ad came about in the first place. Surely, this video was not a woman’s brainchild.

This woman’s ad idea—after pumping a little iron at the gym a toned male meets his girlfriend for lunch and orders a Boca burger. It’s simple and it keeps with the “Vegan Boyfriend” theme.