Rebuttal: Straight Eye
- wadE
Before you go further, make sure you've read yesterday's gambit by Wade.
Done?
Good...
The reason I chose to respond to his gambit is that I recently did read an article by a gay man that appreared
in the Washington Post on Aug. 11th. You can find a reprint here.
The gist is that gay slobs are a little annoyed at the show because they aren't as well dressed, well groomed,
inshape, hip, and food/wine savvy as the guys in the show. It's fairly tongue-in-cheek, but I think there is
some genuine animosity there.
But I would say for the most part, most gay people applaud any mainstream acceptance they can get. I can
understand concerns about sterotypical portrayals of gay men, but honestly, the gay men I know are just as
stereotypical, if not worse than the guys on Queer Eye. They may not be as chic and camera friendly, but their
personalities are just as flaming.
As far as straight men being offended or annoyed...I am not. I've seen all but one of the episodes and I've
actually really enjoyed them. Also as a man who is moving in on two years of marriage, I'm starting to understand
and appreciate the benefits of good interior design and not always putting function in front of form. It's a
hard transition, but if you've seen some of the places these guys have lived in (esp. the episode w/ the carpenter
guy) it's beyond getting ditching that coffee table from Target for one from Pottery Barn; they are living in
squaler. It's really not attractive.
Also, I don't think they are trying to say that all straight guys are in dire need of queer help. Just like
Jerry Springer isn't saying that all people from Arkansas get married to their siblings. It just makes for good
(or at least interesting) TV to take those extreme cases.
As for the advice they give in the show, as with all advice, you need to take it in, figure out what applies to
you and what doesn't, and toss the rest. I think I would look great in clothes from Dolce & Gabbana, but I
don't have the money to shop there. The food tips I like because it's of particular interest to me. The grooming
guy kinda rubs me the wrong way...especially after he gave his tip that you shouldn't wash your hair every day, that
it can looks its best on the second or third day. Maybe if you use a ton of hair spray, but when you've got collicks
like mine, you need a good wash to force it down! On the other hand, any advice that gets to straight men everywhere
that they should at least look in the mirror every morning and remove hair from the places it shouldn't be (ears,
nose, between the eyebrows) the better! NOthing worse than sitting in a meeting and having to look at a guy with
an inch long hair shooting from his nose. Oy!
So to my good friend who wears a lot of plaid I ask, "are you comfortable?" If so, they keep going. Regardless
of where you buy your clothes, if you are comfortable in them, you are going to look your best. Who you are
is going to take you a lot further than who designed your outfit...at least in Minnesota...probably not the
case in New York or LA. :-D
What do you think? Drop us a line at webmaster@simpleprop.com and give us some
feedback. Maybe we'll even run your letters in future Gambits. 'The Daily Gambit' is updated every weekday.
