The Sexual Politics of Meat by Carol J. Adams is a foundational work in feminist-vegetarian theory that explores the connections between patriarchy, sexism, and the consumption of animals.

Adams argues that the objectification of women and the treatment of animals as consumable objects are structurally linked through cultural language, imagery, and power systems.

She introduces concepts like the “absent referent,” showing how meat consumption obscures the living animal, much like how women’s identities are often erased in sexist representations.

The book critiques how intertwined systems of domination normalize both gender inequality and animal exploitation.