Netflix’s “Queer Eye” is “What Not to Wear” for a Modern Audience
On March 15, Netflix released season three of “Queer Eye,” featuring the Fab Five: food and wine expert Antoni Porowski, fashion expert Tan France, culture expert Karamo Brown, design expert Bobby Berk and grooming expert Jonathan Van Ness. With their expertise, the Fab Five help the person featured in each episode to find him or herself; the way that they inspire self-love, as well as holistically acknowledge the people they help as human beings and not just objects to be made-over is the reason that “Queer Eye” is the ideal show for a modern audience.
The show draws parallels to the 2003-2013 TLC show “What Not to Wear,” a show where fashionistas Stacy London and Clinton Kelly give $5000 worth of new wardrobes to the person featured in each episode. During the time it aired and still today, “What Not to Wear” is a fun show to watch to see someone get made-over, but it is primarily superficial. “Queer Eye,” on the other hand, is an improvement show for the whole person, not just the looks.
Just like London and Kelly of “What Not to Wear,” France and Van Ness help the person of each episode dress and groom appropriately, but the addition of Porowski and Brown teaching the person about food and culture makes “Queer Eye” definitely more wholesome rather than superficial. Also, Berk brings an HGTV flare to the show by remodeling the houses into homes, bringing a theme to the show that a person is not just defined by their looks but the way they live.
Season Three offers a variety of new people that the Fab Five help to become confident again. In episode one, they taught tomboy Jodi to feel more feminine, not making her house pink and forcing her to wear dresses everyday, but by empowering her to define her own femininity and share open conversations with a diverse group of women. In episode two, they gave camp counselor Joey a new sense of home and a chance to bond with his son after experiencing addiction and divorce.
The Fab Five helps these relatable people not to completely change everything about themselves, but instead bring out what is fundamentally best inside and feel confident about their unique personalities. “Queer Eye” in itself is entertaining to watch, but what sets this show aside from any others is that it values self-love for people who genuinely want to improve their lives.
For people struggling with mental health, people coming of age or just anyone who enjoys a good, wholesome show with a delightfully positive group of men who use their passions to help people, “Queer Eye” is today’s ideal show.
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Katie Hurwitz, class of 2019, is the Online Managing Editor and Entertainment Editor for The Rebellion. At school, Katie is involved in National Honor...