Your Next Binge Watch: Queer Eye

Netflix’s signature move: spoiling us with fantastic new shows to binge on, right when you feel like you’ve watched everything a million times over. One of their latest shows “Queer Eye” is no exception.  “Queer Eye” is a spin-off of the original show, “Queer Eye For the Straight Guy” which aired in the early 2000s. The gist of the show is that five gay men, the “Fab 5”, give makeovers to men who are struggling with their looks. As Jonathan Van Ness would say, the men go from “struggs to func,” which means struggling to function, obviously.   

The guys help in not just the fashion and hair department, but the “life” department as well. The five men all have different specialties and share a workspace in Atlanta, Georgia, which is also where they find most of their projects.   

Now I know what you’re thinking; is it more than just five good-looking gay men giving makeovers to those in need? Without a doubt, yes. These men all have incredible personalities and individual styles. They each bring something unique to the table.  

Tan France specializes in helping the fashionably challenged, and with his British accent and beautiful gray head of hair, you would be a fool not to let him dress you  Karamo is the “culture” expert — he’s calm, cool and collected, and specializes in improving their men’s confidence and the way they present themselves to the world. The designer of the group is Bobby, who has a quirky sense of humor and the ability to make your garage look like a five-star hotel room. Antoni, otherwise known as the one everyone is in love with, is known for his skills in the kitchen. Finally, we have Jonathan, who is by far the most outspoken and flamboyant member of the squad. With his long luscious mane, he is responsible for the grooming aspect of the makeovers.   

While “Queer Eye” is one of the most entertaining and hilarious shows I’ve seen in a long time, it also touches on a lot of topics that have become very prominent under Trump’s presidency. Tan France highlights in the intro of the first episode, “The original show was fighting for tolerance. Our fight is for acceptance.”  

The show hopes to bridge the gap between the stereotypes of gay and straight people. They want to show that there are commonalities between the two and everyone should be able to co-exist peacefully. But the show also highlights some of the racial issues in our country – it’s not a coincidence that the show’s location moved from New York City to Atlanta. The point of the spinoff was to interact with a more diverse group of people regarding politics and race.   

The Fab Five have helped a wide range of men like firemen, a white Christian father, a white stand-up comedian still living with his parents, a Pakistani-American man with social anxiety, a closeted gay black man, and a man living in his grandmother’s house still decorated like the 70s.  

The Fab 5 are invading these men’s lives while pushing boundaries and knocking down walls; literally. Tom, who was their first makeover in episode one, spoke fondly of the Fab 5 saying, “I’ve never hung with gay guys before. But they were just so open with me, and I was so open with them. I love the Fab Five. They made me feel great.”  

Tom is not alone with this one. The Fab 5 will make you feel great even during that uncomfortable moment when you see your reflection in the dark Netflix screen and start questioning your life. If you haven’t seen this show, then do yourself a favor by sitting down to watch it, because I promise after episode one you’ll be in love with not only the Fab 5, but also the men whose lives they forever change.