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Underground > Film, TV & Theatre >

Queer Eye for the Straight Guy

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19:06 / 18.06.04

After hearing loooads of meedja chatter about this, it's good to finally clap eyes on the original (and, I suspect, the best) US version. For those living in downtown Tora Bora, Queer Eye is a US-imported makeover format in which five in-yer-face style queens (one each in charge of Grooming, Fashion, Interiors, Culture and Food & Wine) descent upon a haplessly unreconstructed hetero male, and mercilessly metrosexify him.

Tonight's showing - the first ever, one assumes - featured a grotesquely ponytailed 'mountain man' carpenter/artist unironically called 'Butch'. I watched, fully prepared to hate the homo harpies - but found it not only compellingly loveable, but oddly moving (in a Faking It kinda way). It worked because stylists and subject were all instantly likeable, good-humoured and funny. The Fashion guru (who I thought was actually rather badly-dressed) in particular, one Carson Kressley, was both witty and engaging throughout.

I guess I'd worried it'd be full of stereotypes, the gay Uncle Toms we're used to seeing: sexless, neutered camp bits of fluff. It'd be disingenuous to claim that element wasn't present, but I thought the personalities of the Fab Five were such that they transcended such limitations - and, there being five of them, they provided a range of 'types', approaches and mannerisms. Also, the sexual frisson wasn't evaded/ignored but toyed with naughtily (the 'you're lucky he's letting you tuck that shirt in yourself' scene) so the whole thing felt slightly edgy - or would've done if the Straight Guy hadn't been such a good sport.

All in all, I really liked it. And I think it's a Good Thing For Poofs.

Anyone else see it?

Goodness Gracious Meme

20:25 / 18.06.04

Really(having had misgivings) enjoyed this, the wit was wonderful....

""

Sorry, more later, Victor's doing his Rocky routine...

Goodness Gracious Meme

20:38 / 18.06.04

okay, back now...

Yes, albeit after one show, the Five* are much less stereotypical/asexual than I'd expected. There is still a bit of that, but then they're not going to ask a bunch of er, gay medics(just for example) to do a style makeover show, they're going to ask lifestyle people...

They all seem likeable,3-d and witty... The 'subject' was, let's not forget, apaprently an unreconstructed man, but one having an art opening, we're not talking Jed Bush here. But he was challenged/into the dramatic change enough to keep it interesting...

fave quotes:

Blondie, faced with punchbag:

I've got loads of fashion aggression
Followed by utterly feeble punch

brunette on the kitchen makeover:

It's part of your new concept [pauses for a beat], y'know, attractive

Jooooy

*Seven Rings for Men, Three for Elves, Five for Fags...

Anyway, off out to work off *my* fashion aggression.

20:38 / 18.06.04

It was just all feelgood stuff. A few years back, BQAF (Before Queer As Folk), I'd probably have tutted at the automatic association of gay men with metrosexual style, money, blah blah beefcakes; these days, however, I think there've been enough archetypes on the box (largely as a result of reality TV) that I don't really worry about damaging stereotyping. And, as I said, the individuals themselves were disparate but uniformly likeable.

20:49 / 18.06.04

'Feelgood' hits it pretty squarely on the head. Unlike the head-on abuse dished out byh the disgustingly smug Trinny & Suzannah, the gentle prodding and poking here was much more enjoyable. And very funny, too, which is the thing that makes it worth watching.

"Point out on the doll where the bad man touched you."

Carson's near-inevitable solo series might actually be worth looking forwards to.

21:36 / 18.06.04

Unlike the head-on abuse dished out byh the disgustingly smug Trinny & Suzannah, the gentle prodding and poking here was much more enjoyable.

I'm not sure: this is something I've heard said rather than seen; Trinny and Susannah aren't especially funny, but I've never found them "disgustingly smug" either. I think there may be transatlantic differences here: if Queer Eye was transposed to the UK (and I'm aware that there is a UK cable version, but I've never seen it), I suspect the in-yer-faceness might take on a 'class' dimension, and come across as overbearing. I'm not sure the format would travel well.

Something else that occurred to me is, part of the reason it comes across as benign is, I think, the fact that straight men are relatively unused to being the subject of attention focussing on their appearance/sexiness - and, in my own experience, directly telling a straight men he's very sexy (and, crucially, telling him in what way he's sexy) almost always reduces him to endearingly 'aww, shucks' blushing ingenue. My favourite What Not To Wears have generally featured males, and Trinny and Susannah's positive feedback produces a similar (if less entertaining) feelgood effect.

Psi-L is working in hell

21:51 / 18.06.04

I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy this...but found it very funny, and touching as you've all said....not the 'lets all laugh at the queers and their funny ways' that I was worried it was going to be...much more 3 dimensional.

Plus I can imagine that it was pretty ground breaking for US audiences, being on a more mainstream channel as opposed to US Queer as Folk etc being on small cable channels, so it can only be a good thing...

22:02 / 18.06.04

Plus I can imagine that it was pretty ground breaking for US audiences

From hanging around on predominantly US-based message-boards, it would seem that this is indeed the case. Anecdotal research (my mother's 'are gays really like that?' telephone calls) suggests that, as with this year's Big Brother, showing a number of gay people interacting is vastly 'healthier' than the usual Token Poof instances; it's useful in getting across the diversity of the Rainbow Nation. Gay Pride!

*clenches fist, solidaritiferously*

22:05 / 18.06.04

if Queer Eye was transposed to the UK (and I'm aware that there is a UK cable version, but I've never seen it), I suspect the in-yer-faceness might take on a 'class' dimension

Ah, that's a good point. Part of my dislike for T&S is probably a chip-on-shoulder class thing - there's a snootiness to their delivery which gives their comments the feeling of horribly snarky put-downs - and the same wouldn't be as immediately apparent to me on a US show.

Psi-L is working in hell

22:13 / 18.06.04

Gay Pride indeed....I'm still waiting for the day when the Token Gay on something like Big Brother is as indistinguishable and dare I say it 'normal' as the rest of the the group... i.e. not the usual fagbangle/queens that are usually represented....admittedly this would not make for such interesting tv...

The other notable thing that didn't really transpose from US to UK for me on Queer Eye was the fashion sense.....

tucking t-shits in.....I mean really, have you ever?

22:21 / 18.06.04

I'm still waiting for the day when the Token Gay on something like Big Brother is as indistinguishable and dare I say it 'normal' as the rest of the the group... i.e. not the usual fagbangle/queens that are usually represented....admittedly this would not make for such interesting tv...

Well, I think that, on balance, Reality TV is a Good Thing in this regard. Okay, we still sometimes get the Token Poof/Dyke, but on the likes of Big Brother they've got the time and space to become three-dimensional, to confound stereotypes (as Anna did, in the first series, and I think Dan is doing in the current one). Of course, Queer Eye's stock-in-trade is the preeny queeniness of its protagonists - but they're incredibly likeably fleshed-out, and are clearly task-focussed rather than simply decorative.

The other notable thing that didn't really transpose from US to UK for me on Queer Eye was the fashion sense.....

tucking t-shits in.....I mean really, have you ever?

God yeah - and all that 'roll over the waistband, it looks really cool' shit. What was what about?

Psi-L is working in hell

22:27 / 18.06.04

I completely agree with you Ganesh...reality tv is definitely a good thing and has got better certainly at not always just going to the stereotypes, and I definitely think some representation is better than none at all....I just wonder when if ever we'll get to the point where people are selected/represetned not soley because of their sexuality....it still strikes me there's a sort of Countdown..'I'll have a screamer from the top, a trannie from the middle, and a couple of bisexuals from the bottom please Carol' effect in play.

And yes Queer Eye seemed to me to be more a case of lets laugh with the 'Fab Five' rather than at them, so much better than I was expecting.

As for the roll over waistband thing.....kinda looked more to me like you'd just forgotten to put a belt on....not a good look.

22:44 / 18.06.04

'I'll have a screamer from the top, a trannie from the middle, and a couple of bisexuals from the bottom please Carol' effect in play.

Hah! That's a good way of putting it. I guess I'm just happy when one gets even the merest hint that the screamer has, at one some point in his life, actually had sex with someone of the same sex - as opposed to existing solely as fagbangling Gay Best Friend adornment to some bargain basement Carrie Bradshaw somewhere.

Guess I'm easily pleased.

And yes Queer Eye seemed to me to be more a case of lets laugh with the 'Fab Five' rather than at them, so much better than I was expecting.

Also, they weren't all screamers. Food & Wine bloke was distinctly blokey (I'm guessing they really had to work to contrive suitably camped-up photo-opportunities for him), the Interiors guy was moderately 'straight-acting' (for a Yank), the Grooming guy was relatively laid-back and so on. There was a range of 'types' - and, for someone like my mother (who's prone to saying "that Brian who won Big Brother - isn't he a sweetie?" and wondering why I'm less than gushingly agreeable) it really is a learning experience.

And, of course, it helped that 'Butch' was a hottt bear, and we had some shower scenes toward the end. Mmmm...

As for the roll over waistband thing.....kinda looked more to me like you'd just forgotten to put a belt on....not a good look.

Looked to me like your gut was playing rollover with yer jeans. Not a good look at all.

Psi-L is working in hell

23:04 / 18.06.04

Yes, there was definitely a range of types, shapes, sizes sort of like a gay Power Rangers team I thought, each with his own special powers...a far more normal group, who as you say at least look like they might have each at some point done something remotely sexual with another man...unlike the other representations of gay men on US mainstream tv, Will and Jack in Will and Grace who are so asexual and therefore unbelievable as to make the programme virtually unwatchable.

Butch sadly wasn't really doing it for me....though he did look soooo much better post makeover. I just can't understand why men insist on growing their hair long...there should be a law against it or something...

23:08 / 18.06.04

It's just so... unnecessary, isn't it?

Psi-L is working in hell

23:17 / 18.06.04

Indeed...it just gets in the way in my opinion

23:33 / 18.06.04

Oh, hair definitely has its place. On the male head is, however, not that place...

Goodness Gracious Meme

11:56 / 19.06.04

'I'll have a screamer from the top, a trannie from the middle, and a couple of bisexuals from the bottom please Carol'

I want this on a t-shirt.

Goodness Gracious Meme

12:02 / 19.06.04

Agree on the class aspect, are there any Yanks around here who pick up on this more?

The other notable thing that didn't really transpose from US to UK for me on Queer Eye was the fashion sense.....

My God Yes.

The hair=yes. The slacks=noooooooo

And, personally, thought the 'look! my art! on my chest!' thing was a biiiiit much as a promotional tool. As a pulling tool, tho'....

14:15 / 19.06.04

The whole thing has lost its original appeal for me, now I've seen the SHITE UK version of it, I have to say. There's just something about it that doesn't translate that well... Or maybe it is just the utterly pointless concept of remaking it identically here.

In the original US version, there are some really good ones to come, though.. There is one truely atrocious (style-wise) one, where they makeover some guy's living room 'Hawaii style' to look forward to

15:09 / 19.06.04

Good thing I'm around to beat the show down a little.

I have to say, IMHO, QE was no where near as involving as it's British cousins.

Here's why: We need to get to know of subject. We need to spend more time on them, and less on the wacky makeover team.

I appreciate that the wacky makeover team are a big draw, but frankly, why should I give a shit about a makeover if I don't give a shit about the subject?

06:56 / 21.06.04

It's groan-TV.
I hate it, I hate them, I hate the way their "make-over" doesn't usually work, I hate the way everything is fixed by just throwing bucketloads of money at it.

I love, however, the UK version when the first thing they do is take the victim to the dentist.

Sooooo apt.

I watch, I groan, I learn nothing I didn't already know.

Trinny and Susannah however can have my babies!

07:19 / 21.06.04

Oh, hair definitely has its place. On the male head is, however, not that place...

Racist

08:19 / 21.06.04

Racist

Arschgeige.

11:23 / 22.06.04

...and is that your vocabulary souvenir from Berlin, Ganesh?

Matthew Fluxington

16:35 / 22.06.04

I'm so glad that the lot of you like the show! It's such a joyful, positive show - unlike most makeover and reality shows, it has a lot of heart and goodwill. All five of those guys are lovely, and I seriously think that they are doing a lot to ease a lot of folks out of casual homophobia.

The current season is just as great, even though most of them have had some unfortunate hairstyles in some episodes.

Matthew Fluxington

16:43 / 22.06.04

Here's why: We need to get to know of subject. We need to spend more time on them, and less on the wacky makeover team.

I have no idea what episodes you're seeing, or if they edit them for UK consumption, but the US version of Queer Eye spends a LOT of time in every episode getting to know the subject and his home life/career/etc. It's possible that the UK version (with it's incredibly silly looking Fab Five!) spends a lot more time with the guy, but that would seem to throw the rhythm of the show way off. The pacing formula on the US version is quite solid - they give you just enough of everything to make it satisfying.

Perhaps you're just much less interested in US shlubs than their UK counterparts.

16:47 / 26.06.04

Flux, I've only ever watched the American version, and, granted, I've only ever watched it twice, but so far I've seen next to nothing of the makeovees that wasn't slight as fuck - at least when compared to similar British shows.

To my mind the emphasis is different. In Queer Eye the subject is heavily mediated by a highly visible makeover crew - the real stars of the show, whereas in Would like to meet, say, the makeover crew are de-emphasised and the subject's voice accentuated.

Matthew Fluxington

17:33 / 26.06.04

One thing to bear in mind is that like any show, the first few episodes aren't very indicative of what is to come. A lot of the later episodes definitely go out of their way to let the viewer get to know the subject.

19:42 / 30.06.04

Overall I like QE for the reasons that have already been mentioned, but there are a couple of specifics that bother me about it. First, I think Carson is hilarious, but his fashion sense is consistently on the gaudy side.. sometimes it seems like he's dressing these guys up to look obnoxiously uber-gay, instead of just suggesting more stylish or hip clothing that goes with their personalities (of course, this opinion does come from an admitted fashion-challenged homo, so what do I know?). Second, the Fab Five tend to have a self-righteous/condescending attitude about what the correct way to act, look and speak are, which is slightly grating. I think they're getting better about this in the later shows that I have seen, though.

Also for those in the UK, the episodes of QE on network television are edited, so if you're not watching the US version of the show on Bravo, yr probably getting the edited version (have to protect the children, after all).

Tryphena Absent

20:00 / 30.06.04

Well it's a full hour long so I'd be quite surprised if it was edited. A lot more goes on British TV.

11:54 / 01.07.04

What I was thinking, Anna.

23:37 / 05.07.04

Bleah. Dubious 'advancements' in how gay men are percieved by the public, doesn't this show strike anyone else as doing a lot of damage as far as pushing the idea of "You have to look and act like this or else no one will like you"?

Or it could just be my general hatred for all things RealityTV.

Tryphena Absent

00:50 / 06.07.04

Ha! I think you protest too much!

doesn't this show strike anyone else as doing a lot of damage as far as pushing the idea of "You have to look and act like this or else no one will like you"?

I think it's helpful, you see this show is about taking care of things- your environment, your body- and its emphasis is placed on the facilities that are available that men ignore out of some false notion of masculinity (or perhaps laziness). As someone who sat down opposite my current object of affection and explained the wonders of exfoliating face wash and throwing newspapers in the bin I think this show is entirely too accurate. I have now been dating this man for a year. We're working on moisturiser and getting him to throw the papers away rather than simply watching me do it but I suspect it is still too much of a wrench for him, it's a minor miracle that he doesn't complain when I throw them away, this might be because I dispose of them section by section and I'm sneaky and only throw them away when he's not in the room. (He may kill me for posting this here.)

Anyway my point is trying to be that you don't need to act or look like the QE team- that guy who dresses the straight boys doesn't dress in the bland style that he requires of the participants! No, my point is that the show simply suggests that you could do good by paying attention to detail, soap and water do no favours for your face. When are you going to learn that the variety of different ways to 'cleanse' your face were invented for a reason? This is what Queer Eye tells us all! Let's get over the uniformity of the whole thing and take the message on board... it's easy to lead a beautiful life.

(I leave you with dialogue: "But I haven't read that yet!"
"Do you really think you're going to read this paper when its three weeks old?"
"...Maybe... What?! I might!... eventually... ... ... no.")

00:51 / 06.07.04

Not really, no. Bearing in mind that there have only been three episodes on TV so far, I reckon they do a pretty good job of making sure that the changes they recommend are tailored to the subject. Unlike something like the deeply suspect 10 Years Younger, which is pretty much Channel 4's - and the makeover genre's - new low point.

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