ANIMALS ARE HERE WITH US, NOT FOR US

Introduced to the world of animal rights through PETA DVDs her brother obtained at an event in San Diego, CA, Stephanie was confronted with graphic depictions of chicken, cow, and pig slaughter. The impact was immediate and lasting, reshaping her perspective on food.

Stephanie’s story reflects the complexities and personal struggles encountered when attempting to align personal values with dietary choices. It unveils the tension between one’s ethical beliefs and the societal expectations and health considerations that often accompany such decisions.

Meatless Movement recently had the opportunity to chat with her.

Please tell us more about yourself

Hi my name is Stephanie and I am from Rosarito, Baja California México.

MEAT IS MURDER!!!
Stephanie Arvallo

Let me tell a bit of my story going vegan
Stephanie Arvallo

At first what made me start being vegan was simple curiosity. I was watching some dvd’s that my brother had, which were some dvd’s from peta that he got in an event in San Diego, CA, and like i was saying, by mere curiosity i watched them. And the first thing i saw was how chickens were being killed, with a cut in the neck and then i saw how cows and pigs were slaughtered, and after that i was shocked!! It was very traumatizing to see that for the first time and still is to this day.

After that day my life wasn’t the same, every dish thaty mom cooked for me and had meat, all those horrible images of those poor animals being killed and tortured, came back to my head. The first action i took was to be vegetarian, i went a whole year being vegetarian, this was late 2000’s, and Mexico this was not as mainstream as it is today and of course i didnt understand the changed that i had to make to have a complete nutrition by being vegetarian and as a result i got sick, i had anemia, the doctor recommended me to eat meat, and that if i didn’t i could get very sick qnd basically die!

This came from a Doctor, so my mother basically forced me to eat me again, but despite that i still rebelled, every bite of meat i took i kept it in my mouth and when she wasn’t looking i would throw it out, after sometime of not feeling well, i went back, the answer from the doctor was the same, eat meat!! So i started to integrate meat again into my diet.

Then in 2016, another event changed my mind again, i went to a fast food burger restaurant, and i was waiting for my order and after receiving my food i took a bite, and those images from that dvd, came rushing back, all those scenes of tortured animals, i saw again that poor cow bathed in blood. After that i put that down the burger and said i will not eat meat again, ever!

It’s been 8 years since that day, and i’m still Vegan i will keep being vegan for the animals!!
Stephanie Arvallo

The challenges i’ve faced finding vegan options/food it has been hard, where i live, there isn’t any options of vegan food, but since i live near the border, there is Tijuana, and there are some options there like tacos, pizza, burritos, vegan korean food, etc, and i also have the ability to cross to the usa with my visa, so even more options are available and i get so excited because the options are endless!! I’m very happy just by getting to know new places and options.

Being Vegan
Stephanie Arvallo

I feel that these years I have been more conscious of everything, from all the suffering animals endure, that it is not okay for us to basically enslave animals. With my knowledge that i have acquired throughout the years, I can make a small change in people’s mind towards their attitude to going meatless makes me feel good! And obviously being vegan makes me feel good both mentally and physically.

My advice for anyone who is just starting their journey towards going meatless and vegan, is do it for the animals, think about all the suffering you are no longer a part of.
Stephanie Arvallo

Something interesting that has happened to me is that by being vegan, i have met a lot of people who are also vegan and are in the fight towards animals rights and i also participate in those activities, for example in my city, there is a collective group called Dos Corazones Pro Animalium, which i am a part of, and the activities that we do is help stray animals, cats, dogs, etc, and we hold different events to benefit them.

We would like to help animals of different species but we lack the space and resources, but hopefully one day we will achieve that goal.

Thanks for reading me!! 🙂