There are giggles, twirls, French tucks, gasp-worthy moments and tears — Netflix’s Queer Eye has a lot to love. On paper, it might be a makeover show, but in reality, it transforms more than just a home or a person.
The format, in which the Fab Five (in 2018: stylist Jonathan Van Ness, fashion designer Tan France, chef Antoni Porowski, interior designer Bobby Berk, and culture expert Karamo Brown) invade the life of a hapless subject for a top-to-bottom makeover, only the real transformation is deeper and in a more important way.
The show is now headed to its seventh season following the franchise’s second international iteration of Queer Eye: Brazil last year.
In this season, we come across a fraternity house full of sweet, lost college boys trying to work out how to be men as the upkeep of their temporary abode crumbles around them. Next up, we have a lesbian sportsperson saving to make a home with her girlfriend while also struggling with internalised homophobia.
Following that makeover, the fab five head off to help Jenni Seckel, a selfless educator who has devoted herself to her school. Probably my favourite of the season, she is highly self-aware and needs help to see that beauty lies inside no matter what shape or size and ditch the notions and insecurities. “You’re punishing yourself by not allowing yourself to be beautiful,” Tan says her while helping her transition from pants to skirts to flowy dresses.
Why Do We Love Queer Eye
With each episode, season after season Queer Eye has consistently stood out in its commitment to being empathetic and warm. Its constant attempt to do a deep dive into finding out who people are and what they need is always as moving as it is entertaining. So many makeover shows usually give the impression that looking good and having a nice place equates to feeling good. With Queer Eye, that is just the start, it is about haircuts but also about head-turning moments. They want you to feel stuff and the Fab Five rightly makes us do that with their laser-focused brand of self-love, self-care, self-improvement and self-acceptance.
The nicest thing about Queer Eye is that it pushes your feelgood buttons in the way you would largely expect – the transformative power of a nice haircut, some carefully chosen and well-fitted clothes, a living space that suits the person’s needs – but it also takes the occasional swerve into surprising us to something more profound by assuring affirmations about life. More than often, the Fab Five talk about their respective partners, their childhood, and their tussle with religion as well as confess their own areas of ignorance.
Remember when the Fab Five was stopped by police and Karamo was driving? The subtle mention of Black Lives Matter in the episode spoke volumes. And in doing so, they give their subjects permission to open up and be vulnerable. Whether that's coming out to their family, coming to terms with losing a parent, or just getting their confidence back, every episode is an explosion of emotion.
Queer Eye stands out as a uniquely warm, refreshing comfort watch with a correspondingly wide fanbase. You will love it, but so do all your friends, colleagues and your occasionally homophobic family.
Netflix's Queer Eye is itself an iteration of the 2003 show Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. The original Queer Eye operated under a set of assumptions: that straight men need help from a set of fashionable gay men who can address their problems through simple grooming, culinary, and home-décor fixes. Its unspoken idea was that a broader cultural betterment might follow.
The new Queer Eye tries to imagine what broader cultural betterment would entail: exfoliants and conversations about privilege, celebrations of vulnerability and questioning of toxic masculinity.
The Fab Five preach their fierce desire to push society beyond tolerance to acceptance — not just for gay people, but for a diversity of all kinds.
For seven seasons now, Queer Eye has been a reminder that a simple compliment can save a bad day. A simple 'Yass queen' can boost your confidence, a 'thank you' can melt your heart and kind words like 'You look really nice' can boost self-esteem.
Suggested Reading: Hannah Gadsby’s New Book Is About Dealing With Autism And Queer Comedy
Views expressed by the author are their own
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