A new video has appeared on the internet that was created by the Got Milk? campaign and Katie Ledecky, apparently targeting a younger generation. Localsyr.com says, “The ‘Got Milk?’ advertising campaign is back, but it’s targeting a new audience. The ads are working to target the YouTube-TikTok generation with videos like the one above. The video shows Olympic swimmer Katie Ledecky swim the entire length of a pool while balancing a glass of chocolate milk on her head!”
As a member of the “Youtube-TikTok” generation, I have one message for the dairy industry: It’s too little, too late. In 2018, the FDA reported that the dairy industry plummeted 1.1 billion dollars. Then in 2019 alone, oat milk sales in the U.S. grew by 686%. Businesswire.com reports that “The plant-based milk market is expected to reach US $21.52 billion in 2024, growing at a CAGR of 10.18%, for the duration spanning 2020-2024.”
So, I understand why the dairy industry is shuffling to try and rope in younger generations of changemakers. But, someone balancing a glass of a cow’s breast milk on their head, while swimming laps, won’t convince us that consuming the stolen breast milk of another species is healthy, happy, athletic, and wholesome. It’s pretty obvious that humans were not meant to continue breastfeeding, especially off of other animals, into adulthood. It’s been proven time and time again that we don’t need to drink animal milk to be healthy; just check out all of the plant-based athletes sharing their stories with Switch4Good.
As a young adult pushing our society forward, and trying my best to push it in the right direction, I take the time to do my research and see with my own eyes where my “food” comes from. The facts about dairy are plain and simple, and there are so many incredible plant-based dairy products these days. The bottom line is that the dairy industry forcibly impregnates females, kidnaps their babies, disregards male calves as trash, sentences females to a lifetime of misery, and slaughters the mothers when they no longer produce milk. That violation of the female reproductive system and violence is something that I refuse to support, even if someone can swim a whole lap with a glass of milk balanced on their head.
Respond to Katie Ledecky’s Twitter and Instagram video by leaving a comment to let her know why you won’t support the dairy industry!