On Being a "Joyful Vegan"

I get a lot of comments on my "Joyful Vegan" tank top and sweatshirt, which you can find on the lovely Colleen Patrick-Goudreau's website. My favorite reaction is "Are you really vegan?", to which my response is equal parts "LOL" and "?!??" (Which translates to "Um, why else would I be wearing this shirt?")I've also received feedback that is less curious and more, shall we say, mildly antagonistic. A girl who works at a yoga studio I used to frequent announced in front of a bunch of people in the lobby, "If I were vegan I wouldn't be joyful," which is downright unfortunate—not because her remark came off as hostile and so made me uncomfortable, but because she clearly wasn't as open minded as she might like to think she was.But I don't wear my "joyful vegan" duds to try to convince anyone to go vegan. Funny as it may sound at first, I wear them for myself.I wear them as a reminder that I am a diplomat of sorts, a living breathing example of the change I wish to see in the world. If I'm wearing this shirt, I don't leave myself room for pissiness if the soy milk curdles or the cafe doesn't offer any vegan baked goods. If I'm advertising my lifestyle in this way, I can't indulge those baser impulses (my impatience, my tendency toward crankiness) without coming off like a hypocrite. I have to step up and be who I want to be, the very best version of myself.And if, while wearing this shirt, I inspire anyone else to strive for the same, well—what a bonus!