Now that its summer, I've started my usual tradition of binge-watching shows on Netflix. One summer it was Grey's Anatomy and then the next one was Gilmore Girls.
This summer I've decided to watch Queer Eye.
For those that unaware of this show, here is brief synopsis.
Every episode features a team of five gay professionals (also known as the Fab Five) in the fields of fashions, hair and nails, design, food and culture. Each week they perform makeovers on people by redoing their house, fashion, hair, diet and overall lifestyle.
While the original show, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy was about makeovers for straight men, the new version is about makeovers for both men and women (gay, straight and trans alike).
Because of the extravagance of this show, it may seem a bit much to the public eye. However, the more invested you get into the show, the more you realize it's so much more than makeover (as the shows tagline states).
Queer Eye is about love and acceptance of everybody, no matter who they are.
In every episode, the person that is being made over is dubbed a hero. While watching all of the episodes, I noticed that each hero is loving and accepting towards the Fab Five, even if their background and how they were raised proves otherwise.
Both the Fab Five and the 'heroes' approach their different backgrounds with grace.
I love all of the episodes, but when thinking about which ones affected me the most, I often think of two.
The first one being about Bobby Camp, a devout church goer and Christian and the second one about a southern Christian woman named Tammye, whose son is also gay.
Of course, love and acceptance between Christians and the LGBTQ community seems unheard of, but these two heroes prove to be the opposite. The sayings,' God is love' and 'hate has no home here' were constant themes in both episodes, which made me cry like the girl that I am.
One of the members of the Fab Five, Bobby Berk even opens up to both Tammye and Bobby about how his sexuality brought up problems with his religion. Both Bobby and Tammye approached this with absolute grace and told him that he is loved and accepted, regardless of who his partner is.
Regardless of what other people believe, I believe that every person regardless of who they love should be treated with the respect that they deserve.
For the longest time I thought that devout Christians and gay men and women could not get along because of the religious conflicts, but these two episodes changed my belief.
Another influential episodes being the episode titled 'Dega-Don't', which is about a police officer known for his wild parties and crazy costumes.
In the beginning of the episode, a police officer pulls over the Fab Five vehicle, and Karomo (the culture expert) is driving. Fortunately, the situation ended up being harmless, but being the only black member of the group automatically became resistant and 'turned-off' by situation. However, as the show progresses, you see Karamo and Cory bond and realize that they are more alike than they think.
Both the Fab Five and the people the heroes of the shows come into each episode with an open mind, and there's something admirable about that.
I challenge anybody who has been closed off to the LGBTQ+ community to watch this show to gain more acceptance, love and teary-eyed joy.
Because as the Queer Eye says, its more than just a makeover.
