Every social media influencer and YouTube vlogger knows that to set yourself apart from the crowd, you must have a brand that defines you and your channel. Many times, this kind of branding stems from a particular lifestyle choice or preference. And in the case of Yovana Mendoza a.k.a. Rawvana English, her social media platform is one that’s centered on healthy living and eating.
As a Raw Vegan herself, Mendoza often discusses (and even, promotes) her animal-friendly lifestyle on her YouTube channel.
This time around, the lifestyle vlogger isn’t making headlines for her very vocal stance on Veganism, but rather, she’s being noticed for her lack thereof. Because in this video posted by Vegan Bean, Mendoza can be seen sitting at a table with a plate of cooked fish.
Although the video doesn’t explicitly show her eating the dish, her followers were quick to call her out on it – sparking the hashtag #fishvana online. Many of them called her out for being “fake” and using the vegan diet as a way to gain a social media following.
With over 400,000 subscribers on YouTube, this was a serious issue for the Raw Vegan advocate. And in response to all of these negative comments, Mendoza recorded and uploaded a 30-minute video in which she explains the shift in her diet.
According to Mendoza, she was advised by her doctors to change her diet due to her irregular menstrual cycles. Because of this, she has incorporated eggs and fish back into her meals.
“I have decided to put my health first,” she says in the video.
Despite this very public apology, many questioned the sincerity of her statements.
Instagram user @misterpilgrim818, for example, commented on her Instagram post, “Even though she has admitted [to] no longer being vegan since a couple of months ago (and, let’s be honest, probably longer), she’s still making money off of tricking people into thinking this is a healthy diet. I personally don’t agree with veganism (it’s contrary to human nature and the diet that’s been consumed by virtually all of humanity for all of recorded history), but for someone to make money by telling people ‘raw veganism is good for you!’, when in reality it caused her to have serious health problems that forced her to change her diet, that is not cool. Hopefully, sponsors will see all of the backlash and that will tank her income. Maybe then she’ll get a real job and contribute something to humanity – we can always use another barista, amirite?”
Another online user wrote, “I respect you, but veganism is not about being famous on the Internet[. It’s] not about [the] money [and it’s] not about weight lost … it is about the animals. So not cool, really. I wish you well, but the problems with nutei on you claimed doesn’t add up ..I am 46 [years old and have] been [a] vegan since [the] 80’s but [I] never wanted to be skinny. It is sad to see people, who doesn’t eat enough calories and blame veganism for it… [es]specially after making a lot of $ promoting an unrealistic lifestyle. 😢❤️”
Tell us in the comments below, do you think Yovana Mendoza was sincere in her apology?
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