The good ship Queer Eye sailed back into our lives for its fifth season last week, and we have been revelling in the warm fuzzy feeling it gives us ever since.
Even though the Fab Five – Antoni Porowski, Jonathan Van Ness, Bobby Berk, Tan France and Karamo Brown – have only been with us since February 2018, their ground-breaking transformation show has taught us many a valuable life lesson.
From grooming hacks and interior design tips to self-confidence boosters and stress busters, we don’t have to sign up to the show (although, can we?) to live our lives the Queer Eye way. With their instantly quotable advice on the show as well as blazing a trail in their own lives – they guys have given us some fabulous rules to follow…
It’s all in the details
Never has it been more important to celebrate the little things in life. As the show’s interior design expert, Bobby Berk is the king of using simple details to inject character and heart into a home. In the third series, Rob – one of the makeover “heroes” – struggled to know how to keep the memory of his wife alive for his sons after they tragically lost her. Bobby collected all the birthday and Christmas cards she’d written for her boys and kept them in a wooden chest inscribed with her handwriting. Cue lots of tears.
When it comes to grooming and style, Jonathan and Tan take a less-is-more approach, and gone are the days of telling someone to burn their wardrobe and start again. “There is a diva in there, but all she needs is a little bit of a bold lip,” Jonathan tells one of the show’s heroes. So, throw on that red lip for your next Zoom call and release your inner queen.
“I couldn’t give a shit about fashion,” are not the words you’d expect a TV style guru to say, but Tan taught us that a simple French tuck can change your whole vibe. “Style is not fashion,” he once said. “Fashion is not trendy after a season. I couldn’t give a shit about fashion. Style is dressing the way that you feel confident and what is appropriate for you, your age and body type.”
Embrace your true self
We all struggle with self- confidence issues, but Antoni and his abs are supporting us through the struggle. Regularly posting hot topless pics on Instagram, he reminds us that it’s OK to show off when you’re feeling good about yourself – because nothing says confidence more than posting a very deliberate thirst-trap snap and captioning it, “Dreaming about modesty”.
Queer Eye was an absolute hit from its very first episode when hero Tom told the Fab Five, “You can’t fix ugly”, and subsequently learned he was mighty wrong about himself. As Jonathan told him, “When people say, ‘You can’t teach an old dog new tricks,’ it’s not true, because you can reinvent yourself and learn new things whenever you want.”
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Follow your heart
And Jonathan should know. If there’s anyone who has proven you can learn new skills if you put your mind to it, it’s the ever- positive Mr Van Ness. Having been obsessed with ice skating and gymnastics as a boy, the 33 year old decided he was going to be the graceful ice-dancing, cartwheeling queen that he had always wanted to be. Now, he delights his fans with complex and fabulously-executed routines on his Instagram.
Karamo Brown is equally proud of following his heart, which he has demonstrated time and time again in his tireless activism. Amongst many passion projects, Karamo once collaborated with President Obama to work on policies and legislations that supported LGBTQ+ youth. And in his personal life, Karamo recently reminded us to always pursue what makes you happy as he proposed to his partner, Ian Jordan, for the second time... just because.
So, whenever you’re feeling weary, and downtrodden, just think of the Fab Five and remember Jonathan’s advice: “You are strong, you are a Kelly Clarkson song, you’ve got this.”
Queer Eye series five is streaming on Netflix now.
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