Growing up, my best friend's mom was OBSESSED with "Queer Eye For The Straight Guy". It was like the gay man version of what not to wear, and it was fabulous! But then it went off air, and nobody ever talked about it again until this winter when Netflix revived it in it's gloriousness! Some people are poo-pooing on the new version because it does not have the original cast. But they are the ones losing out, because this new "Queer Eye" is great! They have touched on topics that most reality shows find taboo. And I LOVE it!
1. Rednecks Are Not Always Homophobs
The first episode starts out breaking the stereotypes real fast! The Fab 5 entered the home of a fifty-something self proclaimed "redneck" who had no prior experiences with someone of the LGBT community. During the events of the week, he explained to the Fab 5 that he never knew that "five gay guys" could become his best friends. It really goes to show that not all "Rednecks" are homophobic. Often times, it is a lack of education an exposure to different types of people.
2. Black, Red, And Blue Lives Matter
In the duration of this season, the Fab Five talk about police brutality, the divide of race, and the inequality of the LGBT community. Karamo, the only African-American member of the Fab 5 felt scared during their makeover of a cop, and former Marine. When expressing his concerns of police brutality, both the cop and Karamo cried for the heartbreak that each experiences due to fear. They also spoke of racial inequality throughout the season, and every one agreed that respect has no color. In the last episode of the season, the Fab 5 help out a Fire House by putting together a fundraiser. Throughout the episode, the firemen and the Fab 5 share experiences from ballroom dancing lessons, to cooking tips, pedicures, and home made lip scrubs. Rural Georgian Fire Fighters learned that there is no need to feel strange about someone being different. Love is love, and friends are necessary.
3. Coming Out Stigma
One of the episodes took a turn that I don't think anyone would have expected. The man which they were called to make over told the Fab 5 that he is gay and has a boyfriend, but his family does not know. The Fab 5 took this as their main goal, to make him comfortable enough in himself that he is able to be his true self with everyone. In small town Georgia, with traditional values, it is hard for any one to come out, for fear of rejection. While Hollywood has made "gay culture" a norm in entertainment, that is not true for so many parts of the country. In the Bible Belt, such as the Georgia setting of this show, gay culture is not something that is often talked out outside of entertainment, making it to be a taboo subject. It is almost embarrassing when first coming out, because of the terrible reactions that are made shortly after. They hit that nail on the head, and opened up views of the "Coming out stigma".
4. Not All Christians Are Bigots
The Fab 5 walked into Camp house slightly worried. The man they were just about to help is very religious. He and his wife are strong in their Christian faith, and are raising their children in the Christian faith as well. And honestly, this was a time that I became proud of my religious upbringing. Because this family did what every Christian hopes they can, be a lover of people. They invited the Fab 5 into their home and into their life, loving them regardless of anything. Trying to end the "anti-gay" BS that has tainted the church, the Camp family focused on loving the Fab 5 and making sure that they feel comfortable in their home. Mr. Camp explained that just because someone believes different from you, that does not mean that you need to disrespect them. If you believe that we are all God's children, then you should love your brother no matter what.
5. We Are All Equal
Everyone deserves someone to love. Whether that be in relationships, in family, or in friends. And the new "Queer Eye" really focuses on that! Everyone also needs to find love for them selves. We are all entitled to one thing, feeling confident in ourselves. It is not being vain to want to look good, or to have a nice place to call home. It is also not about being boastful to put yourself and your accomplishments out there. You have a right to feel good about yourself and how you are impacting your world. At the end of the day, we all need to have confidence in ourselves, in our lives, and in our relationships. It doesn't matter your race, you background, your political or religious views, or your sexual orientation; we are all the same on the inside.
