It’s no secret that lobsters tend to feel pain, making the cooking method of boiling them alive seem torturous for some people. Hence, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) staged a provocative protest at the 79th annual Maine Lobster Festival in Maine. The protest has gone viral online, but not for the reason the animal rights organization likely intended.
On Wednesday, PETA campaigners positioned a nearly nude model, body-painted bright red to resemble a cooked lobster, on a large serving platter complete with lettuce, butter, and a lemon wedge outside the festival grounds. The demonstration carried the slogan, “Try to relate to who’s on your plate,” urging visitors to reconsider eating lobster and adopt a vegan lifestyle.
PETA campaigner Mason Melito described lobster consumption as “extremely cruel and unnecessary,” encouraging festivalgoers to stop eating lobster altogether. Rather than igniting widespread discussion about animal welfare, however, the protest quickly became an internet sensation driven largely by humor and memes.
A video shared by PETA on X amassed tens of millions of views and thousands of reposts within days, while comment sections across social media filled with jokes suggesting the campaign had the opposite effect. “It looks like she trying to bring more customers in, not drive them away,” one commenter wrote, a remark that quickly gained traction alongside dozens of similar reactions.
People online focused more on the model than the message
Some of the most highly-voted comments also joked that the display made them crave seafood even more, while several users quipped that the model had become “part of the festival” rather than a protest against it. Many comments focused on the unusual presentation instead of PETA’s animal rights message, with users describing the campaign as unintentionally promotional.
“PETA out here introducing us to kinks we didn’t know we had,” jokes one commenter, while another pointed out how the protest didn’t seem to reach its intended effect, writing, “I’ll take things that backfired for $500.” PETA, however, has argued against such humor, stating that they manage to bring attention to the issue: “Backfired…by getting more eyes on the issue? Interesting.”
The more serious comments clapped back against PETA, criticizing their protest. “Exploiting women like this is the way it backfired... You could have guessed where this would go with the inappropriate sexually themed comments. How about people for the ethical treatment of all people??” writes one Facebook user. In any case, it appears the festival was successful, and at the very least, people were made aware of PETA’s advocacy for the ethical treatment of lobsters.
