Composition in Two Genres

TOPIC: STIGMA AGAINST VEGANISM IS UNWARRANTED

The topic of my compositions was the unwarranted stigma against veganism with the intended audience being non-vegans holding negative biases against vegans and perhaps even vegans themselves who want to learn why there is so much controversy around veganism and what approach to tackle it with. I chose this audience because with the concept of veganism growing into popularity in Western culture with both social media and the involvement of large corporations capitalizing on its popularity, there exists a lot of criticism towards vegans, much of which can be labeled irrational and stereotypical. I wanted the purpose of my compositions to be to present veganism as a viable dietary option and, most importantly, destigmatize it, rather than attempt to convert anyone to be vegan or villainize a certain group.

For my two genres, I chose a comic strip and an infographic. The comic presents the existence of negative bias towards vegans in a slightly exaggerated manner simply for the sake of raising awareness of the topic. I opted for a more light-hearted and visually pleasing presentation in hopes that it would make the comic more approachable and have an impact without being too information-dense. The infographic, on the other hand, was mainly focused on providing reasons as to why stigma against vegans exists with a slight explanation for each reasons as well as ways in which such stigma can be reduced. I thought that the juxtaposition of the two genres worked well with each other in that while one commented and ridiculed the stereotypes surrounding vegans, the other went into depth about why such stereotypes exist and how to counter them in a society where the topic of discussion is outside the norm. Because my compositions were mainly presenting information to a group of people with an opposing viewpoint, I think that them being more visually pleasing was an overall benefit over other genres.

GENRE 1: COMIC STRIP

My first composition is a short 6-paneled comic. I wanted to present or introduce the existence of bias regarding vegans in a slightly exaggerated manner for the sake of raising awareness. It was loosely inspired by “‘If I became vegan, my family and friends would hate me:’ Anticipating vegan stigma as a barrier to plant-based diets” from Appetite, a peer-reviewed scientific journal.

GENRE 2: INFOGRAPHIC
My second composition is an infographic that is more information-heavy and presents the reader with reasons as to why the stigma against vegans exists and what to do to reduce it rather than simply commenting on its existence.