Women's History Month is in full swing, and International Women’s Day is just around the corner. With this year’s theme “inspiring inclusion,” aiming to “forge a more inclusive world for women,” a woman fighting for the well-being of animals reflected on her role in a male-dominated industry, as well as what the special day meant to her.
Highlights
- Tarion Partridge, a 25-year-old vegan activist, went undercover in British abattoirs to expose animal mistreatment.
- The documentary 'Pignorant', co-directed by Tarion, investigated the suffering of UK pigs killed by CO2 gas.
- Tarion aims to inspire an inclusive society that respects all sentient beings, regardless of species or gender.
Meet Tarion Partridge, the 25-year-old animal rights and vegan activist who has been risking her safety to go undercover in Britain’s farms to expose the mistreatment being perpetuated there.
“As a woman, I feel that I have a lot of empathy, and it's much easier to convey that empathy to others when I'm doing activism,” the brave advocate told Bored Panda in an email.
Amassing over 18,200 followers on Instagram, Tarion has consistently used her platform to share her passion for standing up for those who can’t speak for themselves, such as chickens, which she has fought for in the past in the form of grandiose protests at a KFC restaurant.
“I use social media to post video and image content that encourages the viewer to look at animals in a different way, and I want to inspire people to withdraw their contribution to the industries that exploit, enslave, abuse, and murder animals,” Tarion explained.
Tarion Partridge is an animal rights and vegan activist who has been risking her life to go undercover in Britain’s abattoirs
Image credits: Tarionpartridge
Most recently, the vegan influencer has promoted the recent release of Pignorant, a documentary featured on Amazon Prime, which she has co-directed with her boyfriend, former gang member turned animal rights activist Joey Carbstrong.
According to the documentary’s description, Pignorant is an undercover investigation into the treatment of British pigs in UK farms and abattoirs, “which aims to highlight to the British public that 90% of pigs slaughtered in the UK are killed by CO2 gas, which causes the pigs intense suffering as their eyes, mouth, nostrils, and lungs fill with burning acid.”
The Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs stated in its 2022 results of the Slaughter Sector Survey in England and Wales that “88% of pigs were stunned with high concentration CO2, with almost all the remaining 12% being stunned through electronarcosis to the head.”
To secure footage for the film, Tarion was placed in risky situations that could have resulted in arrest, injury, or death, according to her public relations agent.
"As a woman, I feel that I have a lot of empathy, and it's much easier to convey that empathy to others when I'm doing activism."
Image credits: joey_carbstrong/tarionp
“I'll do whatever it takes to expose the reality of what life is like for 'farm' animals. I want people to view the footage no matter how uncomfortable it makes them because no matter how distressing and shocking it is for viewers to see and witness, none of that comes close to the suffering, misery, agony, and pain animals endure in farms in the UK, and across the world,” Tarion said.
While a 2015 study suggested that despite men and women having similar levels of protest activity, there were gender differences in the forms of protest in which they participated, such as women being more likely than men to engage in non-confrontational activities. But Tarion has proven that women can be just as loud and present as their male counterparts. In fact, she refuted the preconceived notion that the world of activism was a male-dominated environment.
“There are many female activists in animal activism. The movement is made up of more women than men, so when people say the movement is male-dominated, it excludes the countless women who are doing important work and have been doing vital work for decades,” she said.
Tarion’s activism has made national headlines a few times before due to the bold protests she has staged.
Tarion’s activism has made national headlines a few times before
Image credits: Tarionpartridge
In 2022, she went viral after setting up a television screen outside a McDonald's branch in Derby, UK, which showed videos of the treatment of some animals, including chickens, within the meat and dairy industry, Express reported.
Tarion said she was now hoping to live in a society that is “inclusive and respectful of all human beings, regardless of gender, race, or any other characteristic.” She added: “I want my work to promote the inclusion of all sentient beings, no matter their species.”
As the female-to-male ratio can be disputed within activism, the industry that has been certifiably male-dominated is filmmaking.
As of 2020, 78.9 percent of movie directors of theatrical films were male, according to a study done by Jose Gabriel Navarro posted on Statista, whereas the percentage of women directors was only 20.5 percent, as per the Interrobang.
Tarion co-directed the Amazon doc Pignorant with her boyfriend, Joey Carbstrong, a former gang member turned animal rights activist
Image credits: Pignorant Film
Moreover, in 2022, women comprised 24% of directors, writers, producers, editors, and cinematographers working on the top 250 grossing films, down 1% from 2021, according to the Celluloid Ceiling report.
Nevertheless, such disparity hasn’t discouraged Tarion from co-producing a documentary that has been rated 8.7/10 on IMDb, receiving thousands of votes.
To other aspiring female filmmakers, she said: “My advice to young women would be to believe in yourself.
“I like the quote, ‘Even the smallest flame can start a fire.’ Just one person can create a ripple effect and make a huge difference in the world!”
To secure footage for Pignorant, Tarion was placed in risky situations
Image credits: Pignorant Film
Tarion’s experience within the entertainment industry has been a rather positive one, where she was able to avoid gender-related challenges.
“We had a lot of women on our team, and it was an empowering experience,” she revealed. “My boyfriend Joey is a brilliant and supportive partner and a fantastic director.”
Nevertheless, Tarion, a young, conventionally attractive woman by Western standards, has experienced the wrath of public backlash and the occasional inappropriate male gaze.
She admitted: “However, filming conversations with the public has proven challenging at times.
“As a petite young woman, I have encountered some difficult male characters and inappropriate comments, but mostly, people are very friendly.”
You can watch the trailer for Pignorant below:
Image credits: Joey Carbstrong
When asked whether gender played a role in shaping perceptions of empathy and compassion toward animals, Tarion highlighted a toxic masculine misconception.
"There's a large number of males who have the perception that eating meat makes them 'masculine,'" She explained.
The animal lover continued: “Having compassion, empathy, and respect are genderless traits.”
In the UK in 2016, the Vegan Society found that twice as many women as men were vegan. Other statistics have previously shown that an incredible 79 percent of vegans in the US identified as female, Euronews reported in 2021.
Moreover, a 2018 study found that concepts like “virility” and “power” were a part of the relationship we as a species have with eating meat and conventional masculine stereotypes.
Women's History Month is in full swing, and International Women’s Day is just around the corner
Image credits: womensday
“I've encountered a lot of negativity online, many hate comments, including people telling me to kill myself,” Tarion confessed. “But I don't value the opinion of haters. I am focused on the animals, and I care what they would think of my activism, and I'll continue to speak up for them no matter what anyone says.”
Concluding the interview, Tarion shared her last thoughts for International Women's Day: “My thoughts on International Women's Day go out to the forgotten females on our planet, such as the mothers of other species that nobody thinks about, like pigs, chickens, and cows -- who are used as nothing more than breeding slaves to produce babies that will inevitably be stolen away and grown for someone's dinner.
“My thoughts go out to the stolen babies who are stripped from their mothers and sent to be executed in the name of flesh-eating.
“Where are our thoughts for them? These female animals are abused and neglected and have no rights protecting them.”
The views expressed by the interviewee in this article are their own and do not necessarily represent the opinions or stance of Bored Panda.