Yovana Mendoza, known as Rawvana, had been “completely vegan” for almost 6 years.
She was 28 years old, had almost half a million subscribers on YouTube and 1,3 million followers on Instagram. Her image was synonymous with the raw vegan diet, until she appeared for a fraction of a second in another YouTuber’s vlog, filmed during a vacation in Bali. In front of her was a plate that fans thought contained fish. They noticed that she looked surprised and embarrassed when the camera focused on her, and social media filled with images and fish emojis.
Days later, she uploaded a 33-minute video. In it, she said that she had been incorporating eggs and fish into her diet for two months, that she had health problems during her raw vegan phase, and that she had once done a 25-day water fast. According to her, doctors diagnosed her with small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) and recommended that she add eggs and meat to her diet. She says she has felt better ever since.
She told BuzzFeed News that her “intentions are and have always been good” and that she wasn’t ready to make it public yet. Some followers accused her of misleading them. Others believe she doesn’t owe anyone an explanation about what she eats. Was she obligated to tell them beforehand?