"Queer Eye for the Straight Guy"

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by CM Wolff, Aug 8, 2003.

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  1. CM Wolff

    CM Wolff Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Motown
    Anyone watching "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" on Bravo? As it now seems to be the hit show du jour and getting saturation coverage, somebody here has to have tuned in. If you haven't, it can be pretty damned entertaining - a staight guy's life is given an overhaul from a energetic team of 5 gay guys, each with his own specialty (clothing, food and wine, interior design, culture, and grooming). The whole thing is a pretty good spirited/feel good type of affair; the straight guy is usually desperately in need if the makeover, and the "Fab 5" does not pull any punches in their assessment of his situation, but does so pretty humorously.

    There seems to be a lot of debate over whether such a show reinforces stereotypes of gays/straights. All I know is it is a fun hour of TV, with all my friends, both gay and straight, not missing an episode....
     
  2. Sckott

    Sckott Hand Tighten Only.

    Location:
    South Plymouth, Ma
    I love it. They went from trimmings and dress ups to total disasters recently. It's more interesting when they re-do complete trashed houses and wardrobes. How those gay guys don't combust from being outraged at their sloppy straight challenges, I'll never know.

    It's a great idea! It's a positive reality based show. Works out for everyone and the people at home LEARN SOMETHING.

    Bravo is right.
     
  3. Jamie Tate

    Jamie Tate New Member

    Location:
    Nashville
    I think a lot of people are moving on from Trading Spaces and onto Queer Eye. I used to hear conversations about the latest room Frank stenciled all over and now I'm hearing about the clothes these guys picked out.
     
  4. CM Wolff

    CM Wolff Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Motown
    This show definitely does take the vibe of Trading Spaces and rachet up the entertainment value tenfold.

    I would love to see what kind of makeover I would get from the Fab 5....
     
  5. Michael

    Michael I LOVE WIDE S-T-E-R-E-O!

    Bring back the 50's...Everything was in the CLOSET back then!:laugh:;) Where's the Beaver? :)
     
  6. Mike

    Mike New Member

    Location:
    New Jersey
    Good stuff. Snap!
     
  7. Michael

    Michael I LOVE WIDE S-T-E-R-E-O!

    Crackle! and Pop!...:) :laugh:
     
  8. guy incognito

    guy incognito Senior Member

    Location:
    Mee-chigan
    I've caught a couple of episodes and found it very entertaining. The show does seem to trade in stereotypes--both gay and straight--but it doesn't seem to be snarky or meanspirited like those kinds of shows can all too easily be.
     
  9. Roland Stone

    Roland Stone Offending Member

    My sister can't stop talking about it. I heard it's going to get picked up by a major network.
     
  10. rjp

    rjp Senior Member

    Location:
    Ohio
    bill maher said last night about "queer eye"; "if i wanted a gay person who dresses funny to tell me how to live my life, i'd go back to mass."

    i am sure i messed up that quote, but you get the gist.
     
  11. sydriver

    sydriver New Member

    Location:
    Maryland
    My new favorite show! The premise sounds pretty stupid, but it's entertaining, intelligent, funny, and fun. I got cable because of it. Now that Boy Meets Boy show is another story...
     
  12. Beatlelennon65

    Beatlelennon65 Active Member

    Ive got an idea. Let's let the straight guys tell the other guy what to wear. Either that or pick 5 women to tell the guy what to wear. What do gay guys know about dressing up for women? I mean really...
    Would you want to be dressed in what a gay guy thought was fashionable. This is nuts.
     
  13. CM Wolff

    CM Wolff Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Motown
    Well, the threads that they have been picking out have been spot on, as have many of the other lifestyle recommendations. I'd love to see how the Fab 5 would dress me.
     
  14. CM Wolff

    CM Wolff Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Motown
    NBC owns the Bravo channel, on which Queer Eye runs. They were asked whether the success of Queer Eye would cause them to pull it from Bravo and insert it on NBC. Their response was that it was far more important to establish Bravo as a channel than any benefit the show would bring to NBC. Although you never know...the way this show is going gangbusters, the temptation to make the switch has to be there.
     
  15. Michael

    Michael I LOVE WIDE S-T-E-R-E-O!



    I find that odd also???

    No....it's Modern America...just a reflection of the times. Hey, What's next? LIVE Gangsta Drive-By Shootings with 50 Cent doin the soundtrack?...:laugh:
     
  16. Sckott

    Sckott Hand Tighten Only.

    Location:
    South Plymouth, Ma
    No, no... What CM Wolff said. Totally.

    If these were gay guys who had no taste and no clue, the only thing that would go off during the show is the Gaydar. It ain't like that. These guys have class, style and KNOW how to dress other men, and also know how to cook, redecorate using mostly what you already own, know how to psychologize your place back to "sense" and the grooming advise is not only insightful, but makes total sense.

    Some of these straight guys they do (as well as straight couples) can be part dumpy. One couple was so into having and entertaining kids, they ate and lived among 1/2 a Kay-Bee toy store. :eek: It RUINED the house and the psych of the abode.

    Some women know decorating, know clothes...these guys are really on it all. Nothing can compete with these uppity gay guys. They do it fast and on (what seems to be) an OUTRAGEOUS budget!

    You better wish they show up. It's always a 110% improvement for most anyone.
     
  17. Michael

    Michael I LOVE WIDE S-T-E-R-E-O!

    Actually Sckott, I have some close "Gay" friends...I love them dearly.
    I just think our modern times are berserk! Just would like to see more positive TV shows...:) When you have children, the outlook changes and one becomes much more aware/observant of the decay...
     
  18. Johnny C.

    Johnny C. Ringo's Biggest Fan

    Location:
    Brooklyn, USA
    Homosexual: the new normal.
     
  19. JohnG

    JohnG PROG now in Dolby ATMOS!

    Location:
    Long Island NY
    My wife and I have been fans since the premier. I see that Jay Leno has his hooks into them (see Thursday nights Late Show) so the Fab 5 have quickly become a phenom.

    It is a great show, I just hope it doesn't get ruined by all the publicity now.
     
  20. grbl

    grbl Just Lurking

    Location:
    Long Island
    I love this show - very funny and entertaining. I've been hooked since the first episode.
     
  21. Drew

    Drew Senior Member

    Location:
    Grand Junction, CO
    These days if your an intellectual you have to leave it at home in the closet, meanwhile everyone else is throwing a coming out party.

    The first thing these guys would probably tell me is to buy a TV so I can watch their program.
     
  22. CM Wolff

    CM Wolff Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Motown
    To go even further, the Fab 5 apparently were selected based on a "skill first, gay second" theory. These guys are experienced in what they do - the food guy is the food columnist for Esquire magazine, the culture guy starred in the Broadway show "Rent", the decorator guy owns a New York interior design firm, etc. Again, the over-the-top gayness provides for some fun interaction and entertainment value, but the show is not relying on the Fab 5 to be skilled/qualified to do what they are doing just because they are gay.
     
  23. blackwiggle

    blackwiggle New Member

    Location:
    sydney australia
    The MULLET is dead,no remorse there.
    This show is EXACTLY like Andey Whorhol's factory was.
    All you need is a smacked out Nico and a out of phase Lou Reed and you whould of rediscovered the seventies.
    Where's David Bowie?
     
  24. guy incognito

    guy incognito Senior Member

    Location:
    Mee-chigan
    Of course, this leads you to wonder why it was necessary for all of the "Fab 5" to be gay, other than to give the show its provocative title and generate controversy and media buzz. Again, it seems to be perpetuating the stereotype that all gay men are sophisticates and all straight men are slobs.
     
  25. CM Wolff

    CM Wolff Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Motown
    Absolutely. This has been the most common argument against the show. And besides the creator of the show describing the real life example that gave him the idea for the show like he has in some interviews, there is no other really valid rationale for the angle the show takes; it definitely does play off of the gay/straight scenario in which it sets itself up, just as you describe. On the other hand, any reality show puts parameters around its existence. Also, while it might be perpetuating the stereotypes that you mention, it is also showing gays/straights working together in a positive way - no homophobia to be found within a hundred miles of it.

    In the end, this is as deep as I get with analysis of this (or any) show - I can definitely see it as the pure entertainment it is meant to be; I definitely won't be the one to sweat its social significance or impact, even though it is fun to debate.
     
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