I’ve always loved a makeover show.
I know it’s naff, superficial, and probably a little bit problematic… but I bloody love it.
When Oprah would makeover one of her audience members, forcing them out of their daggy mum jeans and giving them a nice dress and a new lease on life, I would bawl my goddamn eyes out.
There’s nothing quite like witnessing someone finally coming out of their shell and owning their own s**t with confidence – especially if they’ve faced hardship and roadblocks along the way.
LISTEN: The Binge hosts discuss the big problem with this season of I’m A Celeb you probably never noticed. Post continues after audio…
That’s why Queer Eye for the Straight Guy was so revolutionary and such a hit with audiences around the world.
It was a fun makeover show that broke down barriers and changed the lives of both the hosts and their guests.
It was a big deal when it first hit our TV screens in 2003… and now it’s back.
Netflix is dropping its new Queer Eye reboot tonight, with an all new Fab Five who are on a mission makeover the men of America.
I admit when I first heard about the reboot I was skeptical.
I wondered whether a show that was revolutionary 15 years ago might look a bit outdated in 2018, and I wondered whether we really needed another reality TV show about… makeovers. I also wondered whether it stereotyped the LGBTI community and kind of “othered” them.
But then I started watching it and heard one member of the new Fab Five say, “The original show was fighting for tolerance, our fight is for acceptance”.
I then understood that yes, we do still need this show – and any show that adds more LGBTI voices on our TV screens.
What followed was 40 minutes of bloody brilliant TV as I got to know the new Fab Five and their first makeover recruit.
The new Fab Five is made up of Tan France (whose focus is fashion), Antoni Porowski (food and wine), Jonathan Van Ness (grooming), Bobby Berk (interior design), and Karamo Brown (culture).
LISTEN: All the jaw-dropping behind the scenes secrets from Dawson’s Creek, plus the sobering reason why you should stop watching I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here.
Throughout the series the guys share snippets of their own lives with the audience. France, who is Muslim, talks about being married to a Morman. And Brown, who also starred in MTV’s The Real Philadelphia, talks about fatherhood.
They’re not stereotyped, made-for-TV characters who swoop in makeover unwilling subjects, they’re real people with their own stories and struggles to share.
Their first makeover recruit is a 59-year-old divorcee who’s still secretly in love with his ex-wife. The guys makeover his wardrobe, hair and apartment and give him the confidence to reconnect with the love of his life.
If anything the reboot is more heartfelt, more gritty, and even more real than the original and it’s definitely a reflection of where we’re at today.
So get your wine and your tissues ready because I think you’re going to love Queer Eye.
The new season of Queer Eye drops on Netflix tonight.
To read more from Keryn Donnelly, follow her on Facebook.