“Queer Eye for the Straight Guy “
Tonight at 10 on Bravo
1/2
ROLL over Steppinfetchit, here comes your gay equivalent.
“Queer Eye for the Straight Guy,” premiering tonight on Bravo, takes a basically slanted idea (gay men have more style than straight men) and takes it to new sexist heights.
Five gay men, all “experts” in style, make over a straight guy – from his grooming to his apartment to his taste in food – on each episode.
I called in two experts of my own, Louis Viel and Damien Miano, of the Miano-Viel Salon and Spa, to watch the show with me.
Louis told me right off the bat that he’d tried out for the show, but didn’t get the job. After watching it, he gave thanks to God for not having made the cut.
Tonight, the man the gay men make over, Butch (that’s really his name), is a big pig in overalls whose apartment hasn’t been cleaned in years. He didn’t need a makeover, he needed an inspector from the board of health.
We find out he’s an artist, and quite a good one. In an attempt to be amusing, one “expert” picks up Butch’s jock strap and smells it, then another picks up his boxers from the floor and says, “I think there was a car accident! I see skid marks.” How ugly is that?
They then cut Butch’s long hair, dye his hair and eyebrows, shop for new clothes, make over his apartment, teach him how to say “hello” at his gallery opening and make hors d’ouevres. We don’t learn how to do most of it.
Damien’s final answer: “What I found so degrading was the underwear, the jock strap and then the voyeurism of them watching him on closed circuit. Maybe they need a lead host to pull the thing together, but they don’t. Is it a reality show or a makeover show?”
Louis’ final answer: “Other than announcing that they are gay, what does gayness have to do with anything here? Are they implying that just because they’re gay they automatically have a better sense of style? I’d like to see why sexual preference is linked to credibility.”
My final answer: Butch did look better, but it wasn’t worth an hour of my time to see it happen. Is TV too afraid of gay men who don’t look and act flamboyant and queenie? Probably.
It’s safer to think that you can spot a gay man, like a bad nose job, because it’s so obvious.