New San Jose billboard calls egg-eaters bad feminists, ruffles feathers

A new PETA billboard that went up in San Jose last week claims egg-eaters can't be feminists. A new PETA billboard that went up in San Jose last week claims egg-eaters can't be feminists. Photo: Courtesy: PETA Photo: Courtesy: PETA Image 1 of / 28 Caption Close New San Jose billboard calls egg-eaters bad feminists, ruffles feathers 1 / 28 Back to Gallery

People are clucking about a new billboard off Highway 101 in San Jose that claims feminism and egg consumption are incompatible. The message isn't sitting well with vegans or feminists (or vegan feminists).

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals are behind the new sign, which went up last week at 1221 Oakland Road, near the Burger King and Carl's Jr.

Featuring a blonde woman with an egg in place of her face, the billboard reads: "Face it — you can't claim to be a feminist and still eat eggs." In smaller print, it says, "Eggs and dairy are a product of the abuse of females."

PETA is not referring to abuses of women workers in the agriculture and farming industries, but the abuse of female animals. It should be noted here that the widely accepted definition of "feminism" is "the advocacy of women's rights on the basis of the equality of the sexes." Though "female" can be used to describe the sexes of animals, "woman" applies only to humans.

A new video PETA released alongside the billboard claims that consuming eggs and dairy products exploit "females' reproductive systems and therefore must be rejected by feminists." The video explains that dairy farmers keep their cows "almost constantly" pregnant by forcibly inseminating them, before separating them from their calves and harvesting their milk. It also claims that hens are slaughtered when they can no longer produce eggs. In 2016, PETA espoused a similarly controversial message in a video that compared animal food production to rape.

PETA spokesperson Marissa Price explained that San Jose is an ideal target for the billboard's message because it is a city full of "strong women" and students with the highest median income for women of all U.S. cities.

Price said the campaign was created on the heels of the #MeToo Movement.

"In this ad, we're asking people to go vegan in solidarity with female animals who are being sexually abused," she said. Price claims the billboard was in-part informed by intersectional feminism, which she defined as a "rallying cry to stand up to all kinds of systemic abuse."

The phrase "intersectional feminism" was first used by scholar and civil rights activist Kimberle Crenshaw in 1989 to call for a more comprehensive feminist movement that took into greater account the experiences of women of color. Intersectionality has since evolved to encompass the interplay of many kinds of discrimination, not just gender and race.

The billboard - like other PETA campaigns before it - has caused a splash on social media. Many people called the ad an attention-getting scheme with a muddled message.

"As a feminist and a vegan I hate this," wrote @julialovesbirds on a Reddit thread about the billboard with nearly 1,000 comments. "This makes veganism seem like a cult instead of a choice based on our personal ethics," she continued. "This just turns off people who are considering veganism/vegetarianism."

"You can be a vegan AND a feminist without linking the two. You shouldn't HAVE to be vegan to be a feminist," wrote @ihatenewaccts.

@sistersiren found the billboard compelling. "As a person who is vegan, I am fully on board with this sign," she wrote. "I think it needs a bit more explanation, but it could get some people thinking and curious, which is the point."

According to @PossiblyExcellent, the billboard accomplishes its goal of convincing folks to stop consuming egg and dairy products. "It's not an advertisement for PETA or feminism or even for veganism — it's an advertisement to convert people to veganism/vegetarianism," he wrote. "It's brilliantly utilitarian, like PETA has been for years — they are experts at getting maximum exposure for minimum cost."

Let us know what you think of the billboard in the comments.

Read Michelle Robertson's latest stories and send her news tips at mrobertson@sfchronicle.com.

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