Excited for release of ‘Queer Eye’

Published 10:11 pm Thursday, June 14, 2018

Friday is a great day for many reasons.

Friday means the end of a long work week. Friday means the weekend is right around the corner. Friday means that you can stay up as late as you want.

This Friday, in particular, is amazing because the entirety of the second season of “Queer Eye” is going to be released on Netflix. It’s practically a holiday for me.

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Why am I so excited? Because I think “Queer Eye” on Netflix is one of the best reality shows that have come out in a long time.

Reality television normally features drama, angst and vanity, but that isn’t what “Queer Eye” does. This show tackles everything from Black Lives Matter, coming out, loneliness and self-worth.

“Queer Eye” is the reboot for the original “Queer Eye for a Straight Guy,” and it revives queer culture in reality television with a demand for acceptance. This show doesn’t force the idea that all queer men are stylish and flamboyant.

What this new show is trying to do is demand acceptance for queer people in all spaces, remind people of their worth and show that a group of friends can exist without nasty drama and still make good television.

The acceptance comes naturally in the show, and for the most part, you don’t realize it happening at all. That’s what is so amazing about it. The entire Fab Five — Bobby Berk, Tan France, Karamo Brown, Antoni Porowski and Jonathon Van Ness — spend just a few days with different men, not just straight men, giving them much more than a makeover.

During the course of an episode, the Fab Five give life advice and sincere reminders that the men they help are worth loving exactly for who they are.

The first season showcases just how similar these five guys are to everyone they meet, and this show highlights that just because people have different world views or sexual orientations doesn’t make them so incredibly different.

I’ve binged the first season, eight episodes, multiple times, and I cry every single time. The show sparks an emotional response from me because of how sincere and meaningful it is.

It was fun for me to watch the show with my husband, because it even showed him how to take better care of himself. He’s even pointed out that the beard oil he uses is something that Jonathon, the beauty expert, has used on the show. It’s something small, but it breaks down the barriers and shows that taking the time to groom isn’t all feminine.

I’m ready for the next eight episodes to wow me and send me into an emotional spiral, and I’m ready to see what societal and cultural topics they tackle next.