Well, first off, I guess it is true that positive stereotypes are still stereotypes. But I don’t think that this show can be accused of perpetuating stereotypes any more than can “Jeopardy” or “Junkyard Wars”. If real people happen to fulfill aspects a stereotype, that by itself is not bad. What about the negative stereotype of straight guys as bumbling, uncultured slobs? We all know one of these guys. Many of us ARE one of these guys. It wouldn’t be much of a show if conservative, mannered gay men attempted to wreak changes in conservative, mannered straight guys.
Secondly, I’m assuming the stereotype you see being perpetuated is “Gay guys have better fashion sense/taste/food skills/people skills than straight guys”. Part of what blows that up for me is that you have people who are experts in their very different fields for apparently good reason. (Except for Jai, bless his heart, he ain’t got mugh to do).
You don’t see Thom cooking or Carson at the spa. I tend to agree with those who say that the “Queer” part is more a way of taking advantage of the positive aspects of a stereotype in order to foster better understanding.
“Queer” is what the five have in common, because there really isn’t all that much else. If nothing else, this show is helping to blow up the myth that all of gay male culture is an oversexed, mincing, feminized monolith. I see this as positive.
I’m an apologist. Having become a huge fan of the show as a straight male who resembles the targets more than the hosts, the thing that sets it apart for me is its general good intentions. The subjects of the show are playfully trashed in the opening, but I’m seeing what I believe is genuine concern and desire to help on the part of the hosts. It’s infectious, especially compared to the mean-spirited tone of most reality-based TV. Really playful, positive, edge of your seat stuff. It’s perfect television.
Whether or not the show perpetuates stereotypes is not my point. My point is that people who either don’t watch it or have watched “a few minutes of one episode” feel they are justified in offering a critique and pretending like that critique is somehow informed. You pretty much are not able to offer any worthwhile critique of a series which has gone for six or seven episodes on the basis of three minutes of viewing time. You are simply not qualified.
The Fab Five themselves addressed this issue in their interview in The Advocate which was referenced earlier. They say it much better than I can. (I suggest reading the entire snippet and not just the “first few” sentences. :rolleyes: )
i was saved by nbc, now i don’t have to get up at 6am on sunday to see the show.
i am amazed at the amount of stuff i learn from this show. every week there are interesting little tidbits and quite a few laughs.
i think carson picked out clothes that john will wear. what is the purpose of buying a bunch of clothes that the guy wouldn’t wear? if you aren’t comfortable wearing something it doesn’t matter if you got it by being on a show or if you paid 30,000 dollars for it; it will sit in the back of the closet and never see the light of day.
fashion people often wear things that i would never be caught alive in. that is what they do.