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Why yes I DID watch 4 whole seasons of Queer Eye in just over a week.
I live in a five-person house and all four of the folks I live with are into Queer Eye these days, and it was like....I had no choice to at least give it a try, eventually. And the last few weeks have been stressful because I just started a new job and change is hard, and so having something formulaic and positive like Queer Eye to immerse myself in was just what I needed.
I'm very charmed by Queer Eye's whole thing! The 5 hosts are all very clearly committed to helping their guest of the week and wanting good things for that person, with a lot of focus on the importance of reaching out to the people who care about you, taking the time for what you need for yourself, and learning how to present with confidence while still being you. All things I believe in! And it's also lovely to just watch five people be openly and unapologetically queer in their different ways, and have that not only be accepted but celebrated.
While watching, I did have questions about how much real, lasting change can be accomplished in these people's lives from a single whirlwind week. It was clear that for some guests-of-the-week they experienced some sort of true transformation in at least one dimension, but for others I was like.....that person needs some kind of long-term support to figure out how to truly integrate the lessons!
And occasionally I also wondered about the kind of....pressure that comes to both the guest-of-the-week and the people in their life, to respond to things "the right way" when they've got cameras in their face. It sometimes makes for a really uncomfortable power dynamic between me as audience member (who's thus the reason for the camera) and the people being put on display. As an example: the Burning Man guy who was planning on moving to a different city, and the Queer Eye hosts were very against his moving for a variety of reasons, and at the end he decides not to move. Is that decision really from him, or was it the pressure of expectation?
But a lot of the guests seem, by the end of the week, to be genuinely grateful for what their week has done for them, so overall it does seem to be successful at doing something good for these folks even if I have occasional skeptical moments.
My other major reaction to spending so much time immersed in Queer Eye is thinking about how I'd react if I were the guest of the week, and you guys, I'd be so bad at it. I'm so picky about all my stuff! I'd be all like, "no, you can't change that or that or that or that or that, it's all the way it is for a REASON!!!" No I can't use product in my hair, because it's just going to be squashed by a bicycle helmet or a winter toque depending on the season. No I can't hide my laundry basket behind doors or under a lid, if I can't toss clothes directly into it from wherever I'm standing then my clothes will never be put in the laundry basket. No you can't give me nicer-looking shoes, my feet are awkwardly shaped delicate flowers and your shoes either won't fit comfortably or will give me blisters if I try to walk anywhere. No you're not going to convince me to cook more often, it's not about the time it takes but the energy I don't have. AND SO FORTH.
Basically what I'm saying here is that I definitely don't have the openness and willingness to learn/change that they often praise in the people they're helping. I would be dictating exactly what kind of help I'd be willing to accept. (What I would accept: free renos and tailored clothes.) Whoops. Guess it's good I'm never going to be put in that spot!
I live in a five-person house and all four of the folks I live with are into Queer Eye these days, and it was like....I had no choice to at least give it a try, eventually. And the last few weeks have been stressful because I just started a new job and change is hard, and so having something formulaic and positive like Queer Eye to immerse myself in was just what I needed.
I'm very charmed by Queer Eye's whole thing! The 5 hosts are all very clearly committed to helping their guest of the week and wanting good things for that person, with a lot of focus on the importance of reaching out to the people who care about you, taking the time for what you need for yourself, and learning how to present with confidence while still being you. All things I believe in! And it's also lovely to just watch five people be openly and unapologetically queer in their different ways, and have that not only be accepted but celebrated.
While watching, I did have questions about how much real, lasting change can be accomplished in these people's lives from a single whirlwind week. It was clear that for some guests-of-the-week they experienced some sort of true transformation in at least one dimension, but for others I was like.....that person needs some kind of long-term support to figure out how to truly integrate the lessons!
And occasionally I also wondered about the kind of....pressure that comes to both the guest-of-the-week and the people in their life, to respond to things "the right way" when they've got cameras in their face. It sometimes makes for a really uncomfortable power dynamic between me as audience member (who's thus the reason for the camera) and the people being put on display. As an example: the Burning Man guy who was planning on moving to a different city, and the Queer Eye hosts were very against his moving for a variety of reasons, and at the end he decides not to move. Is that decision really from him, or was it the pressure of expectation?
But a lot of the guests seem, by the end of the week, to be genuinely grateful for what their week has done for them, so overall it does seem to be successful at doing something good for these folks even if I have occasional skeptical moments.
My other major reaction to spending so much time immersed in Queer Eye is thinking about how I'd react if I were the guest of the week, and you guys, I'd be so bad at it. I'm so picky about all my stuff! I'd be all like, "no, you can't change that or that or that or that or that, it's all the way it is for a REASON!!!" No I can't use product in my hair, because it's just going to be squashed by a bicycle helmet or a winter toque depending on the season. No I can't hide my laundry basket behind doors or under a lid, if I can't toss clothes directly into it from wherever I'm standing then my clothes will never be put in the laundry basket. No you can't give me nicer-looking shoes, my feet are awkwardly shaped delicate flowers and your shoes either won't fit comfortably or will give me blisters if I try to walk anywhere. No you're not going to convince me to cook more often, it's not about the time it takes but the energy I don't have. AND SO FORTH.
Basically what I'm saying here is that I definitely don't have the openness and willingness to learn/change that they often praise in the people they're helping. I would be dictating exactly what kind of help I'd be willing to accept. (What I would accept: free renos and tailored clothes.) Whoops. Guess it's good I'm never going to be put in that spot!
