When I heard that Netflix had rebooted the gimmicky, stereotyped reality programme, I scoffed. But the new version is hilarious, fabulous and incredibly important
We are living through the golden age of Tv. Why isn’t there any decent coverage of style on it ?
Joanna, by email
I grew up as a devoted fan of CNN’s Style With Elsa Klensch, but after Elsa hung up one of her 10 m Geoffrey Beene coats in 2001 I pretty much gave up on manner Tv. After all, it so often reduces fashion to the two-dimensional visuals, when the real pleasure of style goes much deeper than that- and I’m not talking about Trinny and Susannah insisting that all Britain’s housewives need to cheer themselves up is more colorful V-necks in their cupboards.
Well, colour me incorrect, because- at last- a great way depict has arrived. But this show is about so much more than manner, as any great fashion depict should be. In fact, it is definitely the best TV prove to premiere in so far this year and one of the most important point TV depicts for a long, long time. I speak, of course, of Netflix’s Queer Eye.
” What? A gimmicky reboot of an already gimmicky reality Tv depict? Important? You’ve lost your intellect, Freeman !” I hear the readers weep as one. I, too, scoffed when I heard about Netflix’s revival of the depict- yes, scoffed, I said. After all, I detest reality TV and my feelings about the original Queer Eye for a Straight Guy, which aired from 2003 to 2007 and was predicated on the stereotype that lesbian men are stylish and straight humen are clueless schlubs, could largely be summed up as “meh”. Whatever charm the prove had came altogether from the personalities of the five gays male presenters.
But the new series is flat-out amazing. Only eight episodes long, I devoured it in two sittings. It takes on everything from Black Lives Matter to loneliness. What it is really about, though, is masculinity and the problems it causes- and it seems to me there is no more important topic on our planet right now.
But this is to construct Queer Eye audio highly po – faced, when in fact it is hilarious and fabulous. Like the original demonstrate, it features five lesbian humen, AKA the Fab Five, each with his own speciality: interiors designer Bobby, who does the most impressive makeovers on the prove; silver-fox way expert Tan, who, in his Doncaster accent, is convincing American humen one at a time to toss out their combat shorts; the tongue-lollingly gorgeous Karamo, who is there for “culture”, but is essentially the therapist of the present and thus the source of some of its really amazing moments; scene-stealing grooming expert Jonathan, who has an endearing habit of dedicating exposition by asking a series of questions and answering them himself (” Did I realise this was my moment to glisten? 100%. Did I take it? Take a look !”); and” food and wine” guy Antoni, who can’t actually appears to cook. Sure, he will pronounce “tamale” with a lyrical Spanish accent, but the fanciest meal he makes is hot dogs. Now, there is a fine line between making things easy for the cooking-phobic guests who appear on the reveal and not being able to cook yourself, but Antoni looks suspiciously like the latter. Put it this way: he is no Ted Allen.
But what is really amazing about this show is its heart. I can’t remember the last time I exclaimed at a TV display and I have cried at nearly every damn episode of Queer Eye. There was Tom in the first episode, the self-described ugly redneck who wanted to win back his ex – spouse, and Cory the cop in episode three, who maintains his late father’s old suits in his closet as a route to remain close to him.
But most of all there was AJ, gay and semi-closeted, who wanted to come out and stop dressing like the deputy director of a sofa store. I have now watched this episode three times and each time I have wept absolute buckets: there is so much emotional truth going on here and not for a second does it feel manipulated. It sums up the excellence of this display: it has political nous, it has heart, it has style and it feels utterly relevant to now. Fashion eventually has the Tv reveal it deserves and 2018 has the Tv it needs.
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