Queer Eye is Making Gay the new Black
Being a gay man is a very chic lifestyle nowadays. It's becoming very trendy to live your life as an out-and-proud male, but only if you're muscularly built, conventionally attractive, and adorn yourself with fashionable clothing.
Queer Eye, the new re-imagined Netflix show, emphasizes this point, too. I really like the show because it's representation in the media and it's put queerness into perspectives for a newer and larger audience. I've seen "coming out" become a table topic in many families. After seeing the show, close friends of mine decided to take the next step in identifying their sexual orientation and came out to their families. These steps, while they might seem small to some, are huge milestones in the lives of queer individuals. This new show is so encouraging to see because it's airing a new identity that was stigmatized and shamed in the media not even 15 years ago. This introduction to a queer narrative shows that the gay agenda promotes unity and acceptance is is nowhere near as penis or sex-centric as people believe. With the Reagan administration, most baby boomers have only seen gay men portrayed as reckless victims of HIV. Because of this new portrayal in the media, people are beginning to realize that they've seen queer men in a false light this whole time.
However, certain criticisms about the show do exist and are valid. For example, all of the members of Queer Eye work equally hard with one another and yet only the two pretty white boys have recieved national admiration from its viewers. Such whitewashing however can be said for more than just the show Queer Eye, too. The movies Call Me By Your Name and Love, Simon both featured white, commercially attractive, straight passing guys who had all the privilege of owning their sexuality, but being able to downplay it when need be. When, in reality, it's quite the opposite. For queer men, for the most part, once you're identified as having gay mannerisms, you're classified by those actions and people build their schema of you around them. There really is no switch that lets you "turn on" the masculinity.
The progressive part about the reboot of Queer Eye is that it offers racial perspectives that the original did not. And, instead of just focusing on respectability politics, the reboot actually features the Fab Five having real conversations. In the season, Karamo, the culture specialist, is able to break down the racial tensions in a police state from the viewpoint of a moderately progressive black man. And Bobby, the team's interior designer, is able to open up about the homophobic nature of the church to a devoutly Christian father.
The show is a great conversation starter. While the fab five might not be the most progressive advocates, they have a platform that reaches a lot of people and it gives them a frame of reference. Which allows other, more professional activists to build on.
Queer Eye, the new re-imagined Netflix show, emphasizes this point, too. I really like the show because it's representation in the media and it's put queerness into perspectives for a newer and larger audience. I've seen "coming out" become a table topic in many families. After seeing the show, close friends of mine decided to take the next step in identifying their sexual orientation and came out to their families. These steps, while they might seem small to some, are huge milestones in the lives of queer individuals. This new show is so encouraging to see because it's airing a new identity that was stigmatized and shamed in the media not even 15 years ago. This introduction to a queer narrative shows that the gay agenda promotes unity and acceptance is is nowhere near as penis or sex-centric as people believe. With the Reagan administration, most baby boomers have only seen gay men portrayed as reckless victims of HIV. Because of this new portrayal in the media, people are beginning to realize that they've seen queer men in a false light this whole time.
However, certain criticisms about the show do exist and are valid. For example, all of the members of Queer Eye work equally hard with one another and yet only the two pretty white boys have recieved national admiration from its viewers. Such whitewashing however can be said for more than just the show Queer Eye, too. The movies Call Me By Your Name and Love, Simon both featured white, commercially attractive, straight passing guys who had all the privilege of owning their sexuality, but being able to downplay it when need be. When, in reality, it's quite the opposite. For queer men, for the most part, once you're identified as having gay mannerisms, you're classified by those actions and people build their schema of you around them. There really is no switch that lets you "turn on" the masculinity.
The progressive part about the reboot of Queer Eye is that it offers racial perspectives that the original did not. And, instead of just focusing on respectability politics, the reboot actually features the Fab Five having real conversations. In the season, Karamo, the culture specialist, is able to break down the racial tensions in a police state from the viewpoint of a moderately progressive black man. And Bobby, the team's interior designer, is able to open up about the homophobic nature of the church to a devoutly Christian father.
The show is a great conversation starter. While the fab five might not be the most progressive advocates, they have a platform that reaches a lot of people and it gives them a frame of reference. Which allows other, more professional activists to build on.
Comments
Post a Comment