By AILEEN BURKE
News Editor
I remember hearing stories about and periodically watching syndicated episodes of the old-school “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” with my Grandfather when I was younger. This was the Bravo! channel vehicle that launched Carson Kressley into being a household name, and it was accidentally a visual epitome of early 00’s culture. When the first season of Netflix’s totally glamorous reboot of “Queer Eye” was released in 2018, my younger sister and I jumped right into it. Antoni, Tan, Bobby, Karamo, and JVN were the friends we never knew we needed, and this show has only gotten better as new seasons have been released with time.
This incarnation of “Queer Eye,” especially in this most recent season three, is for our generation and time. Younger people who understand the idea of self care are familiar with the thoughts presented by the boys in the show. People who are ‘out’ are not atypical in 2019 like they might have been in 2003, and this version of QE acknowledges that. It deals with issues that are a lot more than surface level. The physical changes brought by the “Fab Five” are a result of the inner healing, and not the only product of the show instead.
One of the most interesting parts of season three is the diversity of the people that the “Fab Five” bring their love and talent to. Throughout the season, there are different humans that get to explore new possibilities with the team. Only five of the episodes within this new season are centered around men; there aren’t limits to who can experience the joys of self-care and positive change. This is “Queer Eye” for everyone, not just the straight guy.
All of the participant’s backstories throughout the season vary drastically, but every single episode carries incredible amounts of joy and learning – not to mention cute moments between the five men who make all of these different dreams a reality.
One of the most powerful episodes of season three is the fifth – “Black Girl Magic.” It centers on a young black lesbian named Jess Guilbeaux. She was disowned by her family when they found out she was gay, and had to drop out of the University of Kansas when it became to expensive for her to handle on her own. The reaction to Guilbeaux and her personal transformation was so strong from viewers that there is now a highly successful GoFundMe page in her name that has gathered thousands already to collect tuition money for her to contemplate going back to school.
While this show has been a sensationally fun watch since its premiere, the satisfaction comes in the show’s honesty. Making images of sensitive men – or people in general – accessible and normalized is significant for America, especially at this moment in our cultural climate. It is good to take care of yourself, and in turn take care of the people around you. “Queer Eye” makes it evident that when someone takes the time to take care of themselves on the inside, everything else really can fall into place.
