New Netflix Show Easy Explores Veganism

New hit Netflix series Easy spotlighted the topic of veganism in an episode entitled “Vegan Cinderella.” Created by Detroit-born actor, writer, and director Joe Swanberg, the show conveys modern relationships amongst Chicagoans. “Vegan Cinderella”—the second of the eight-episode debut season, and the only one focused on a queer couple—follows the relationship between vegan activist Jo (Jacqueline Toboni) and her partner Chase (Kiersey Clemons), who gives up animal products to win Jo’s affection. Jo is portrayed as a strong character with a great deal of conviction, but without the cult-like persona commonly assigned to fictitious vegan characters. While the moral of the storyline is that changing yourself to please a love interest is not ideal, the inclusion of veganism as a point of discussion evidences the pervasiveness of the topic in popular media. Veganism is increasingly being depicted in a positive light across television networks, including plant-based chef Chloe Coscarelli’s numerous cooking segments on NBC’s The Today Show, vegan honey company Bee Free’s feature on ABC’s reality investment show Shark Tank, and the Plant-Based by Nafsika lifestyle series on A&E’s FYI network.