What do you think of "Queer eye for the straight guy?"?

Question

Ok so I'm gay and i really don't like it. It is so stereotypical, it bugs me, kind of annoying.

To sparkleewater23:
Madam, it is stereotypical. If it was not it was not be called "Queer eye for the straight guy." If the purpose of the show was to show guys how to look better they could have found anyone (straight guys also know how to dress etc.), and ok, they could have even used gay guys, but not as this show does. Also they don't need to act the way the do, or could have found a gay man that did not fit the stereotype so well. The thing is that the people who air it don't really care if it is steryotipical, just the ratings. Apparently the show appeals to their crowd, and the tittle is certainly catchy. I remember I wanted to see it when I first head the name but then I saw what it was about. And madam I do not think you know any of them personally as to claim "these guys really want to make a difference in the lives of the people they help." It is their job and they're there to get a crowd of people like you, who like it.

Be respectful XP This just popped in my head and I felt curious.

Answer 1

I think it's just a makeover show, and should not be expected to be a political statement or to be representative of the gay community (something it does not try to do), because five guys could not possibly represent an entire segment of society, and it is just supposed to be a makeover show, no different from any other makeover show.

Having said that, I think the show does represent gay people in a positive light. They show features five professional men, all with completely different personalities, who are on TV being 100% themselves. Not only are there very few out gay men on TV; there are even fewer a) being shown as trained professionals who are experts in their fields and b) being themselves and not acting in a way that they are not.

Whoever said they found 5 flamers must not have watched the show, because no one who is familiar with it could possibly think that. It is a shame some people just watch for two minutes or look at a photo and judge on that. Carson is very flamey and overtly 'gay', yes (and he is 100% exactly like that in person), and Jai perhaps is a little stereotypically 'gay' (and plenty of gay people do act like just like Carson, or more so). But Ted is as 'straight-acting' as you could imagine, and I don't think anyone would suspect he was gay without being told. He is also a very experienced and respected journalist who worked for Esquire (a men's magazine) for years - hardly stereotypically gay. Thom (who owns his own hugely successful design company) and Kyan are not 'flamey' at all and come across as pretty 'straight-acting.'

You should also consider all the good they have done personally for gay people, especially young people. Not only are all five guys very heavily involved in giving a great deal of time and money to various charities that support gay causes, like the Trevor Project and the Carson Kressley Scholarship, if you saw the deluge of letters they get, or met some of the young gay people who approach them on a daily basis, you would not care if Carson is a bit flamey. Literally hundreds and hundreds of gay people, mostly teenagers, have come to the guys (often in tears) saying it is Queer Eye that made them feel it was okay to be gay, or that it allowed them to come out to their families, or even that Queer Eye is the one thing that stopped them from committing suicide. Dislike the show by all means, but these guys have had an undeniable impact on the lives of so many, and that cannot possibly be seen as a bad thing.

Answer 2

I don't think that I would characterize showing someone a better way to do something or how to change things that THEY have asked to have changed being stereotypical. I TOTALLY LOVE the show and I enjoy seeing these guys do what they enjoy doing and enjoying each other, too. You know what else--these guys really want to make a difference in the lives of the people they help and they don't care that most of the people they work with are straight. GREAT SHOW AND A GREAT FAB FOUR!

Answer 3

I like the show, but i totally agree with you about it being stereotypical. Unfortunatley, its not really the networks doing about how they act, or even who is in the fab 5. That is the men's own doing. I really don't think that Thom is very stereotypical though, had i met him on the street and not known who he was, being gay is NOT the first thing i would think of when he opened his mouth. But you don't see him that much its pretty much focused on Carson (granted he is the most fun to watch, although can get annoying) because he is so flamboyant. Also, the phrases that come out of his mouth, can put me in stitches sometimes.

"honey, those jeans are like a bad hotel. No ball room."

Answer 4

The show was relatively interesting for a few watchings. Then it made me YAWN.
Concerning these guys antics. Some people act gay and some dont.
Its not that important. Its like acting Chicano, or Gangsta, or Cowboy, or Geek.
They are all posing, and maybe we all do it.
Oh, I left out Hippie which is how I pose.

Answer 5

I just think Carson is hilarious, Tom is talented, Kyan has skills and really knows product, the little adorable dude is sweet and that other guy is incredibly boring.

Answer 6

I like the show, it's funny when the "straight" guy hear and put attention to the team... forgetting that in the first place the women try to do it... -lol-

Answer 7

Um....I think that we need to keep all the straight guys we have :-)
who needs a show to make them see from a point of view that shouldnt even exist?

Answer 8

Every episode is the same. I watched it twice and I said to myself, "What the ****? That's just like the last one! This is stupid."

And they had to get the queeryiest, most flamboyant fags they could find. Seriously. Even lesbians are offended.

Answer 9

I think it's sad and pejorative. It speaks to the defensive stereotype and nothing more.

Answer 10

i think it is a good show, sometimes guys need tips to look better because what they are doing is not working