I'll Take My Crow On Toast Points With Caviar, Please

[OK, so it's no secret that I expected to hate Queer Eye For The Straight Guy. "How insulting," I kneejerked. "The only things this culture thinks gay men are good for are either emasculated figures of fun (e.g., everyone from Uncle Arthur on Bewitched to Jack on Will & Grace) or aesthetic 911's (cf. Alicia Silverstone's ultimate description of Elton in Clueless: "he makes things look beautiful.")]

[However, I enjoyed every single second of the premier last night. The thing that set these queens apart from, say, Martha Stewart, was that they actually seemed to care about the happiness of the folks they were helping out. On so many "lifestyle enhancement" shows, it's all about the "things," not the people. (Martha's trademark "it's a good thing" has always made my skin crawl.) Never on Queer Eye did the guys project that the changes they made were anything but a means to an end - an artist's fulfillment on the first episode, and a ragged married couple's recaptured romance on the second.]

[If these gents can continue to convince that the right ottoman, shaving oil, or imported foie gras isn't actually about the right ottoman, shaving oil, or imported foie gras, I'll continue to watch.]

Previously Next