When Paul McCartney declared his Up and Coming concert tour a meat-free zone by furnishing 480 daily 100% veggie based meals to his staff and crew, everyone seemed to applaud his efforts with a huge high-five. Now that fellow Brit rocker Leona Lewis has followed suit with her Labyrinth tour by banning all animal products (and even sporting a $262,500 self-funded, ethically produced wardrobe that meets “the highest animal welfare standards”), crew members are working themselves into a tizzy, complaining that she’s a demanding bee-yotch. Heyyy…wait just a second. What gives? Is there a double-standard at play?
Lewis’ meat-free tour policy – which includes prohibiting staff from bringing animal protein onto the premises via outside restaurants, etc. –
has angered them to such a degree that they’ve accused her of being a “bit of a pain in the neck” and even “a diva”, explaining that her strict dietary expectations are “getting out of control.” Some of her colleagues are reportedly even threatening to quit, claiming that “there are going to be murders.”
Earning a reputation for pouring her heart and soul into her music as well as her causes, the 25 year old famously stands behind her vegetarianism, a decision she committed to well over a decade ago, explaining: “I stopped eating meat; got really ill because I didn’t know what else to eat. The process of killing animals is cruel. That’s my belief. I don’t push it on anyone else.” Some might argue that demanding temporary vegetarianism of the people you work with actually is imposing a lifestyle on them that they likely wouldn’t have pursued otherwise.
The Simon Cowell protégée has recently begun pursuing a once-a-week vegan diet to augment her vegetarianism, but has been offering touring staff meals prepared by chef Aldo Zilli which include dairy as well as high protein plant staples such as quinoa, spelt and barley.
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