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• 1 media/download.jpg media/gritty_queer_eye_crossover_question_mark.jpg 2022-04-18T18:05:19-07:00 Queer Eye 18 Queer Eye in Philly: conversations on gentrification image_header 2022-04-27T06:34:32-07:00 (Netflix, 2018-present)
  Post by Susannah Broun 
  
  The fifth season of the show Queer Eye (Netflix, 2018) takes place in Philadelphia and aired in 2020. The show, which is a reboot of the 2003 show titled Queer Eye For The Straight Guy, follows the “Fab Five” on their mission to make over the life of one selected “hero” who needs to improve themselves. This revamp comes through fashion, food, grooming, living space, and general mindset. For this assignment, I focused on the particular episode of the 5th season of the show called “Body Rock or Bust” which follows the “hero” Nate. Nate is a 44-year-old gym owner and personal trainer located in West Philly. His gym is not only his workplace but also his home. The Fab Five works with Nate to revamp his business, his personal style, and his motivation. The episode showcases the environment of West Philly as they drive around to different businesses, restaurants, and locations in the city. As the Visit Philadelphia tourism website (www.visitphilly.com) points out, the episode showcases some Philly classic landmarks such as Reading Terminal Market and City Hall along with the numerous famous murals and locations like Villanova University.
  
  The episode’s main focus beyond revamping Nate’s life is the topic of gentrification. One of the first lines of the episode describes West Philly as a “working class, historically black neighborhood” Nate’s gym, a black-owned business, is struggling to survive in the changing neighborhood prompting the Queer Eye hosts to talk about gentrification. When asked if he feels like gentrification is a “positive or negative thing” Nate responds, “I mean, I like neighborhoods that have people who are invested in maintaining them.” He doesn’t expand until later in the episode when he states “I'm not opposed to investing into a neighborhood to make that neighborhood better, but I'm opposed to the idea of, all of a sudden, you know, the mom-and-pop turned into this boutique that nobody can afford anymore.”
  
  I think it is very interesting how Queer Eye seeks to address important social issues within its show. The show is known for having serious, heartfelt, and emotional moments when important social issues are tackled. Specifically, the “culture expert” member of the Fab Five Karamo Brown is known for having difficult conversations with the “heroes” about topics such as race, gender, and religion. However, beyond the mention of West Philly as a historically black neighborhood at the beginning of the episode, race is not mentioned during any conversations around gentrification. As I watched this episode I felt as though the show was beginning to address an issue while avoiding a key component of gentrification, that is done primarily by and for white people. It is important to note additionally that Queer Eye has been accused of diving into some issues while blatantly ignoring others–– specifically poverty. When making comments about a “hero's” clothes or house they hardly ever address the financial restraints that might be leading to a less glamorous lifestyle. They treat consumption as a primary solution to fixing issues in one's life. This is not a new challenge faced by these sorts of shows. For example, Extreme Home Makeovers (ABC 2004-2012) renovated homes of people who were dealing with hardships. Often factors such as “expanded square-footage or, in some cases, brand-new homes” meant that participants “could not afford skyrocketing property taxes and utility bills. Their homes were foreclosed on, or owners were forced to sell” (O'Neill, 2018, Washington Post). Reality TV “makeover” shows can present band-aid solutions and visually pleasing television without diving deeper into the actual causes of hardship.
  
  I did really enjoy this episode of Queer Eye (in fact, it made me cry). The show does a great job of showing a genuine connection between the Fab Five and the "hero” as a bond that forms throughout the episode. However, with the focus on the city of Philadelphia and an attempt to address some of the city's major current issues, I wish there had been more of a critical analysis of the issue. Perhaps this is too much to ask of a show like this but I feel it matches the show's expressed goals of diving deeper than the original 2003 version of the show did.