Antoni Porowski

I discovered 'Queer Eye' relatively late, during the Covid-19 lockdown. One day I thought I would finally find out what this show was Netflix was constantly recommending to me. I was hooked after the first episode.

Those five men are bringing so much positivity and joy into the world, by being unapologetically themselves and showing others how great they already are. And along the way, they are building bridges to people who would probably confront them with prejudices, and maybe worse, would they meet outside of this TV show. I have nothing but respect for them, and I can only imagine this might not always be as easy as it is shown on the screen. Especially when you are putting yourself out there for the whole world.

Coming from Germany, where reality TV is usually striving to confirm stereotypes and paint people in the worst light possible, just for a few laughs and so the watcher can feel better about themselves, I love shows that actually treat people with respect and kindness.
(Seriously, German reality TV is bad. So bad.)

But now, on to the book:
Obviously, this is great for fans of the show. When I discovered it, I ordered it as a gift for my partner, because he loves the show as much as I do, and then proceeded to schedule our meeting for the next day so I could read it first. Sacrifices must be made and priorities have to be set.
The look and feel of the book are great, there are many glossy photos that capture the positivity of the show itself. Everything is enriched with colourful drawings that fit perfectly into the overall theme. I especially loved the short biographies about the Fab Five and the story of how all got together and would have loved to read more about their biographies, but that would be too much content for a coffee table book, which is exactly what this is. Don't expect any more.
We get basic tips from each of the five for their respective field. Of course they don't have the space to go in-depth, but the book is marketed as a starting point, and this it does very well. Everything is easy to understand, easy to follow and (something I also love about the show) written with the premise of actual practicability for day-to-day life. I could recognize their voices in each of the sections and the tipps are great starting points to build upon.

All in all, this book, just like the show, is the kind of positivity and motivation for self-love we all need right now in this world.… (más)

Read my full review here.

I knew before this book was even published that I'd love it. How could I not? I sometimes wonder, if I could spend a day with just one member of the Fab Five to help me with something, which one would I pick? I couldn't definitively answer that until I read this book. I still can't, really, but I can narrow it down to two based on which sections I was most interested in -- and they were definitely Jonathan's beauty and self-care section and Tan's style guide. It's kind of funny because I thought it might be Karamo's, but since I do a lot of (read: probably too much) thinking, much of his didn't feel new to me. Bobby's and Antoni's were interesting, but since I still live at home and don't cook much, there wasn't as much for me there -- although there's certainly some stuff I can save for later. But when I think about it, I have been more conscious about how I present myself, so it really does make sense.… (más)