Page 27 - Black Velvet Rock Magazine Issue 104

BV104 pg24-29 centre_BV104 pg27 02/04/2020 18:04 Page 4

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voice was. I never knew that because I just lived to get a boob job in school but now she’d never form ‘Milk’ live while supporting The Wildhearts
in a group. I was popular when I was in primary have surgery. and discovered it was a song that shines a light
school and I had loads of friends around me at As a promoter of self-love, Lauren says, “I on the exploitation that animals go through, that
that time. I never really thought about me, I al- can understand why people get surgery. I’ve we really fell in love with the band. We’d heard
ways thought about the group and I thought known a lot of people get surgery and those in- that members were vegan. Lauren tells Black
about doing what everyone else was doing. But securities have been easily fixed. Something fix- Velvet that everyone except drummer Sam Hob-
then, when that group left me and that group able and they’ve fixed it. But there’s also a lot of bins is vegan. “But he’ll kind of eat anything we
weren’t interested in being my friends anymore, power to owning your insecurities and using eat, so we’ll make the food and be like ‘eat it!’
I spent time on my own, which meant I started them to remind yourself that you’re just like and he’ll eat it. He’s not picky, luckily.”
to understand who I was as a lone wolf, and I every other woman. We all feel the same about Lauren tells us how she first got into animal
think, in a lot of ways, I feel sorry for people who our bodies. We can all pick at different things rights and veganism.
have only ever known popularity, because about ourselves that we don’t like and if I was to “When I was 15, I was the only vegetarian I
they’ve never spent time alone to ask them- talk about self-love and how you should love knew. Originally, it happened at Christmas. I
selves who they are, whereas I think us weird yourself and not pick at your insecurities but think it was Christmas Day, for some reason I
kids and the kids that have had to grow up on then look at my body and then go and get sur- was online and I went on Tumblr, and I ended
their own have gone through battles that a lot of gery, I wouldn’t feel right doing that. I wouldn’t up looking at this page on Tumblr and it was this
people don’t have until later in life.” feel right getting surgery but then telling some- girl that had written all about animal rights. Until
one else that they shouldn’t get surgery, they that day, I’d never even really considered what
hese days, with or without haters, fe- should love themselves, because, for me, I look meat was. I’d always call myself an animal lover
Tmales still have a hard time – especially at a woman who doesn’t like a bit of themselves like everyone does and I never put two and two
thanks to the media, with cosmetic surgery and I’ll be like ‘You look beautiful, you shouldn’t together and realized that I can’t say I love ani-
being pushed down our throats, with social change’. But then I don’t think I’m the person to mals at the same time as eat them, and that day
media seeing everyone focusing on how they tell anyone what to do, and I’m not against sur- I was sat at the Christmas table staring at the
look, with airbrushing and ‘fake’ apps that give gery, ‘cause I’ve got friends who’ve had surgery turkey and was like, ‘Mum, how can we all sit
your photos nips and tucks and magically and it did really help their self-confidence, but I and eat a bird? It had to die. It was alive once.’
smooth skin, with some men ogling certain types think it’s totally important, especially in this day And everyone was like ‘Oh my God, you’re put-
of women and those that don’t look that exact and age, to absolutely flaunt the parts of yourself ting me off my dinner’. But when I first turned
same way feeling inadequate. Lauren released that make you insecure because the majority of vegetarian I was so angry at the world. I was
the single ‘Miss American Perfect Body’ from her the time, there are women hiding themselves angry at my parents. I was angry at everyone for
solo album, ‘Songs For Sad Girls’, in the middle and if you saw those women naked or they not telling me how horrible it really is. I remem-
of 2019. The song sees her sing ‘Daddy's girl showed you what they were insecure about you ber my mom and dad eating their dinner and I
will never make it in the world unless she fits the would tell them ‘show everybody’. You shouldn’t ran in with a knife and I threw it at the table and
shape of Miss American Perfect Body’. It’s defi- hide it. But then you’re hiding it yourself. If I can I was like ‘Stop eating animals! For God’s sake,
nitely a thought that leaves a bitter taste in your show myself and put myself out there, I can en- stop eating animals!’ My entire family except my
mouth. But she uses her strength and motivating courage people to do the same.” dad went vegetarian. That was my first activism!
lyrics to empower others, singing ‘fuck them if That was when I was 15. I’m 22 now and I’ve
they don't see what I see in you and fuck them nd, while Lauren speaks out on behalf been vegan six years.”
if they think your body's the issue and fuck them Aof females everywhere, it’s not just fe- Lauren became vegetarian first, and then
if beauty means young girls stay hiding inside’. male humans she speaks for – she speaks up gave up milk within that first year. “I think cheese
Lauren herself has been open to feeling a tad for female animals too. It was in the middle of was the last thing to kind of kick. I never missed
inadequate. She wrote that she always wanted 2019 when we first heard Hands Off Gretel per- meat. To be honest, I don’t miss milk or cheese

HAND OFF GRETEL