Why
We Love Braceface
Sharon Spitz, a geeky girl with a tin grin,
is everybody's favorite teen 'toon. Why? Because the
spunky star of TV’s Braceface is completely clued in
when it comes to animals. Sharon is a vegan animal rights
activist—just like the famous actor who provides her
voice: Alicia Silverstone. Alicia, who is also
Braceface's executive producer, says she wants to
"show kids that there are alternative ways to do
things and that they can live their lives
differently."
The Meat of the Matter
Alicia's animated alter ego, Sharon, goes veg after
taking a part-time job at a meat-packing plant, where her
crush, Alden, works. When Sharon makes the connection
between the terrified animals she sees in the stockyard
and the beef burgers and chicken nuggets she used to
scarf down, she chooses cows over the cute boy. Sharon
quits her job, joins an animal rights group, and never
eats animals again! Alicia hopes viewers will do the
same. Says Alicia, going vegan is "the single best
thing I've done in my life. I am so much happier and
confident."
Alicia Speaks
"Take responsibility and speak out for those who
can't speak for themselves. Without us—all of
us—animals don't stand a chance."
"I couldn't look at myself in the mirror if I ate
meat."
"Once I became vegan, my nails were stronger, my
skin was glowing, I lost a lot of weight. Whoooaa! Is
this like great karma or what?"
Want to be like Alicia? It's easy, she says. "Every
day you can make little choices. Just little adjustments
in your life that can change the world, that can truly
change the world to be a happier place. And it's not that
hard to do!"
Dissection Connection
Sharon's animal rights activism doesn't stop at the
dinner table. In another episode, she refuses to cut up a
frog in biology class. That's not surprising: Alicia did
the same thing when she was in school. "When I was
in high school, my biology teacher refused to allow me an
alternative to dissecting animals," she says.
"I felt frowned upon for standing up for my beliefs.
No student should have to go through that." These
days, many students don’t have to: Eight states,
including Florida, New York, and California, as well as
individual school districts around the country, have
policies guaranteeing kids the right to refuse to
dissect.
What’s Next?
What will Sharon tackle next? It could be anything from
promoting pleather to protesting pet shops. Alicia's
starred in a pro-pleather ad for PETA and was the cover
girl of our guide to cruelty-free cosmetics. She also
urges her fans to adopt needy animals—like she
does—instead of buying them from pet shops.
"Why do people go to pet stores and breeders when
there are millions of animals put to sleep every year in
the United States?" asks Alicia. Good question!
For the 411 on Braceface, check out
www.FoxFamilyChannel.com.
"I'm so happy when anyone goes vegetarian,"
Alicia says. "I cry and get happy for a week."
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