The Blonde Vegan

Submission 16,080

About

The Blonde Vegan is the online persona of popular blogger Jordan Younger, who writes and photo blogs about living a vegan lifestyle. In June 2014, she revealed her commitment to vegan eating had morphed into an eating disorder and she would therefore be incorporating meat and dairy into her diet, rebranding herself as The Balanced Blonde.

Online History

On June 21st, 2013, Younger created her Instagram^[3] account The Blonde Vegan, posting a picture of an elaborate fruit plate. Within a year the photo gained over 300 likes.

On July 12th, 2013, Younger published her first post on her blog The Blonde Vegan^[1] titled "If you’re reading this…" The post explained she wanted to focus on the realities of being a vegan as well as share vegan recipes, saying:

"Part of the reason I wanted to make this blog was so that I could address these questions, and explain to everyone – vegans, vegetarians and even the most carnivorous people out there – why I like to eat this way and why it makes me feel great.

Her Facebook page^[2] was created on August 4th, 2013, as of July 2014, it has gained over 3,000 likes.

On November 15th, 2013, Younger introduced The Blonde Vegan 5-Day Cleanse Program^[5], which she charged $25 for and included 25 healthy eating recipes and inclusion on an e-mail thread where others doing the cleanse could talk about the program.

Eating Disorder

On June 24th, 2014, The Blonde Vegan published a post titled "Why I'm Transitioning Away From Veganism."^[6] Within the post Younger explained that her veganism had turned into an obsession, and she had become over restrictive with her diet to the point where it was negatively affecting her health. She explained the changes she was making to her diet as a result, saying:

"So, long story short, I am reevaluating my diet. I’m saying goodbye to the labels. I’ve tried organic farm fresh eggs and wild fish from the local farmer’s market. I had some sashimi from an organic restaurant that I very much trust. All in the last couple of weeks. This is terrifying for me and extremely out of my comfort zone after living under the vegan umbrella for so long, but I’m doing it for my physical and mental health."

The post gained over 200 comments, many critical of her decision to no longer be a vegan. On June 28th, Younger published a post titled "Some Of The Wackiest Things That Have Happened Since “Coming Out” as a Non-Vegan,"^[7] which featured a round-up of some of the negative responses she received when she announced she was no longer a vegan. The negative response she received was covered by several websites including HelloGiggles^[8] and Jezebel.^[9] On July 14th, Younger posted an image on her Instagram account asking her followers whether they preferred she change her blog name to "The Veggie Blonde" or "The Balanced Blonde." On July 15th, she changed her Instagram and Twitter account from The Blonde Vegan to The Balanced Blonde.

As of July 2014, Younger has gained over 75,000 followers on Instagram and over 1,000 followers on Twitter.^[4]