"I've been a vegetarian for years and years. I'm not judgemental about others who aren't, I just feel I cannot eat or wear living creatures"
About this Quote
Barrymore makes vegetarianism sound less like a badge and more like a boundary. The key move is how quickly she disavows moral superiority: "I'm not judgemental about others". In celebrity culture, where lifestyle choices can read as branding or virtue signaling, that clause is defensive and strategic. It anticipates the eye-roll, the internet pile-on, the inevitable "so you think you're better than us?" and refuses that frame before it can stick.
Then she pivots from ethics-as-argument to ethics-as-body: "I just feel I cannot". Not "shouldn't". Not "people must". It's the language of compulsion and conscience, a personal veto that doesn't require a manifesto. The word "feel" matters because it locates the motive in empathy rather than ideology. She isn't presenting evidence; she's describing an internal recoil.
The most revealing part is the pairing of "eat or wear". That collapses the distance between the steak and the leather jacket, calling out the cultural loophole where consumption is scrutinized but fashion gets a pass. "Living creatures" is deliberately plain, almost childlike, which is the point: it strips away euphemisms ("beef", "hide") and forces the listener to confront the origin story.
Contextually, Barrymore's appeal is her approachable messiness, not sanctimony. Here she keeps that persona intact: a soft-spoken line in the sand that signals values without turning them into a lecture, inviting recognition rather than conversion.
Then she pivots from ethics-as-argument to ethics-as-body: "I just feel I cannot". Not "shouldn't". Not "people must". It's the language of compulsion and conscience, a personal veto that doesn't require a manifesto. The word "feel" matters because it locates the motive in empathy rather than ideology. She isn't presenting evidence; she's describing an internal recoil.
The most revealing part is the pairing of "eat or wear". That collapses the distance between the steak and the leather jacket, calling out the cultural loophole where consumption is scrutinized but fashion gets a pass. "Living creatures" is deliberately plain, almost childlike, which is the point: it strips away euphemisms ("beef", "hide") and forces the listener to confront the origin story.
Contextually, Barrymore's appeal is her approachable messiness, not sanctimony. Here she keeps that persona intact: a soft-spoken line in the sand that signals values without turning them into a lecture, inviting recognition rather than conversion.
Quote Details
| Topic | Ethics & Morality |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
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