A new Fab Five is saving the dating lives of the next generation.
Credit: @Antoni on twitter
A reboot of “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy,” now called just “Queer Eye” released its first season to Netflix Feb. 7, 2018. The original show was on Bravo and ran from 2003 to 2007. In the show, the “Fab Five,” a group of gay men with expertise in the areas of grooming, fashion, diet, and home décor, enter the life of a different straight man in every episode. The Fab Five introduce him to stylish alternatives to his current routine, with the end game being to make the man more “dateable.”
The structure of the new show is very similar to that of the old show; however, their mission has changed. At the beginning of the show, one of the Fab Five says, “The original show was fighting for tolerance. We’re fighting for acceptance.” The original show aired nearly 10 years before gay marriage was legalized in the United States, so of course, a lot has changed since then. Nevertheless, the LGBTQ community still faces a whole host of issues in today’s society.
In the first of eight episodes of the new season, the Fab Five travels to Georgia to help a 57-year-old grandfather named Tom to win over his lovely ex-wife. Tom was eager to learn some tips from the experts, and the experts seemed to have a fondness for Tom. There was a teaching moment in the episode when Tom asked one of the five, Bobby, if he is “the wife or the husband” in his marriage. Bobby took the opportunity to explain how questions like that are sexist, and Tom was very receptive to the correction. These types of instances will help prevent nice people like Tom from accidentally offending LGBTQ people out of ignorance.
The Fab Five updated Tom’s wardrobe, trimmed up his hair and beard, provided him with younger-looking eyeglasses, refurnished his living space, taught him skincare techniques to reduce the redness on his face, taught him how to prepare guacamole, and bought him a better mattress to aid his bad back. It was a complete transformation.
By the end of the show, Tom seemed to have thoroughly enjoyed the company of the men. He had laughed with them a lot, and they reinstated confidence that he had lost after losing his wife. In a sweet moment, Tom shed a few tears when saying goodbye to the Fab Five, making them tear up in turn. Overall, the show is about the beauty of freedom and self-expression more than it is about beautiful looks or homes.
4/5 Paws.
