The Netflix revival of "Queer Eye" had potential viewers feeling a little hesitant. The original show aired from 2003-2007 with the title of "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" where five gay men made over the lives of boring, straight men. This made many fear that the Netflix 2018 version would be full of flamboyant gay stereotypes and stereotypes of straight men as well.
However, the new "Queer Eye" has a message of acceptance and love that's extremely important specifically for the LGBTQ+ community, but also humankind as a whole. The new version still includes five gay men giving a person a makeover, but it's not just straight men. The new version includes episodes where the group works to improve the lives, look and confidence of a transgender man, a gay man and a woman.
The "Queer Eye" crew, known as the Fab Five, consists of Bobby Berk who specializes in interior design, Tan France who works with fashion, Antoni Porowski, an expert in food and wine, Jonathan Van Ness who focuses on personal grooming and Karamo Brown, an authority on culture. Together, the Fab Five works to improve the lives of different people, mostly in southern towns where views differ greatly from their own.
The beginning of each show begins with the Fab Five driving a GMC Sierra to the home of the person the group is making over that specific week. When they arrive in the house, there's typically a lot of hugs and positivity and love followed by the Fab Five rummaging through clutter and making jokes about some of the things they find. In one episode, they find a Trump campaign poster while tidying up the garage.
Despite the different opinions the group encounters throughout the show, differences are never an issue. If anything, the differences experienced are what makes the show so special. Everything is typically discussed in a calm, civil manner followed by tears and hugs. For example, when culture expert Karamo Brown is spending time with a police officer/Trump supporter, Brown explains his fear as a black man and the relationship between black people and police in America. Both men explain their views and both educate themselves respectfully.
Yes, "Queer Eye" is a makeover show, but it's also a show of great acceptance. It's a show where gay men can be friends with police officers and Trump supporters during a divided time in American history.
The show tackles tough topics such as how the church addresses the LGBTQ+ community, recovery from surgery for a transgender man and police brutality. However, I think the biggest issue the show discusses is men's struggle with their own masculinity.
Most of the men that the show focuses on are doing the bare minimum — washing their hair once a day, throwing on a T-shirt, making a PB&J sandwich and spending their time in an old recliner. Throughout the makeover process, the Fab Five tries to convince these men that it isn't necessarily "feminine" to keep up with basic grooming or to clean up your house so you can actually enjoy your living space.
The main point "Queer Eye" tries to get across is that if you actually take the time to focus on the food you're eating, the space you're living in, the clothes you're wearing and taking care of your body and mental health then the quality of your life and relationships will improve in turn.