My daughter recently made a decision to become vegan, influenced in part by Jonathan Safran Foer’s book, Eating Animals. I applaud and support her choice, though I’m still and may always be an omnivore myself.
Her decision broadened my awareness of two challenges she now faces. One, how to find food, both at home and away from home, that is vegan. And two, explaining to family, friends, and others what it means to be vegan (and how she gets her protein). Given today’s broad acceptance and appeal of veganism, the first challenge is easily surmounted, especially given that she’s an Atlanta urbanite with lots of good shopping and dining choices available. The second challenge is more constant and frustrating. She told me she wants a t-shirt that says “I‘ve Got 99 Problems & Protein Ain’t One”. The message and visual on the shirt combine to make an impactful statement that empowers her to answer those questions by simply saying “read this!”
Photo credit: Blood Tight Apparel (www.bloodtightapparel.com)
I love this t-shirt because it's a perfect example of how a strong visual can say more and with more memorable impact than a lengthy conversation might reveal. I think this is particularly true when the underlying emotions are strong and passionate. It's interesting how in these situations words can either be inadequate, or used in such volume, that one loses the listener. I've seen this play out in the market research we conduct - by allowing consumers to use visuals it often deepens the meaning of verbal responses or provides richer dimension to what we might have considered a comment made in passing. Showing in pictures can be very telling.
