We Need to Talk About THAT Queer Eye Episode

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Disclaimer:  This post reflects my personal beliefs and opinions, and by no means reflects the show's intentions or others' opinions. There are major spoilers ahead, so if you have not watched the second episode of season four of Queer Eye, watch that first, then come back to this post.

Queer Eye is a Netflix Original television show that premiered in 2018.  It is a reboot of an original of the same name that premiered in 2003.  The original followed five LGBT men (Ted Allen, Kyan Douglas, Thom Filicia, Carson Kressley, and Jai Rodriguez).  The reboot follows Tan France, Karamo Brown, Bobby Berk, Antoni Porowski, and Jonathan Van Ness (fondly referred to as the Fab Five).  Each person has their own expertise and purpose on the show (fashion, culture, interior decoration, food and drink, and hair and skincare, respectively) as they provide physical and mental makeovers to men and women, from different backgrounds and sexual orientations.  The reboot is now in its fourth season.  This post will cover one particular episode in the most recent season that just premiered in mid-July.

I first started watching Queer Eye after I saw the first episode while away at college.  I really enjoy this show, because it has a feel-good premise with many heartwarming and even comedic moments.  This particular episode, which I will be discussing for this post, is the second of the fourth season, titled "Disabled, but Not Really." It follows the Fab Five as they help a straight man, paralyzed in a shooting, come to terms with his life and situation.  

The episode follows a man named Wesley, a community activist.  His organization, called Disabled But Not Really, uses physical activity to empower people with disabilites.  After the shooting, he was bedridden and depressed for a few years, all while his mother took care of him.  Immediately upon entering the home, the Fab Five begin to see major accessibility problems.  Karamo spends time with Wesley, asking about his past in gangs.  Wesley explains the situation leading up to the shooting and how an acquaintance shot him, along with how he always wishes he got closure.  Bobby spends time with Wesley out in the city, along with Antoni to see what accessibility methods work and what does not.  Antoni shows him how to cook healthy recipes, along with tips and tricks to make cooking easier.  Tan takes him shopping to get a new, more elevated wardrobe.  Jonathan gives him a clean haircut and beard trim, so that he looks professional, letting his personality shine through.

In the second half of the episode, Karamo sets up a meeting with Wesley and the man who shot him.  Both men gain closure and begin to support one another.  Following this, the Fab Five reveal his remodeled house.  There is a ramp to the door, a video doorbell system that allows a person to see who is there from their phone, front loading washer and dryer, among so many other accessible features to make the home livable and practical.  At the end of the episode, Wesley held an event to raise awareness of his organization.  While in the middle of writing this and watching the episode again to aid this process, I noticed several quotes from the episode about disability, accessibility, and inclusion  that I thought very noteworthy.

Favorite quotes from the episode:
"I never thought about the fact that over half of what is in a grocery store is not acccessible to a person in a wheelchair"- Bobby, this reflected the fact that there is an overall lack of awareness to the struggles that people with disabilities still face.

"Even though people see physical limitations, [my life] just became so much better" - Wesley, when talking about his injury and the impact it had on his life.

"Give me your best model roll"- Tan, in the clothing store when Wesley was trying on clothes.  Just this simple phrase meant a lot to me, because it shows inclusion.

"I teach people with disabilities to seek to be different and to be comfortable in their own skin"- Wesley, as someone who has struggled to accept the fact that society looks at me differently, I needed to hear this quote.  I, and many others with disabilites, need to understand that difference is okay, despite what others say.

"We just can't look at anybody differently,"- Wesley, this quote represents everything that I try to talk about in my blog and in my life, that while we all have our differences, that does not mean that we should treat people differently.

I have to admit, I was a little apprehensive about watching this episode.  Many shows and movies depicting disability do so in such a way that makes disability seem hopeless or that the person is an inspiration simply for existing.  Queer Eye, however, did a really nice job of keeping the disability conversation positive.   They seemed to break down stereotypes that are commonly believed about people with disabilities.   Still, there were things that I thought were great about the episode, as well as things that I thought were not so great and could have been improved.  

Throughout the episode, there were so many moments that I thought were great.  For example, I love the goal of Wesley's organization, which is to empower people with disabilites to be themselves through exercise.  I liked how open Wesley was about the negative aspects of disability and his depression, but how his view changed and he is now helping others accept disability.  In addition to Bobby's amazing remodel of the house, Tan provides great clothing tips for people with disabilities, including tailoring clothing to fit in the chair better.  He also offers to help Wesley in the dressing room without being invasive.  By this, I mean that once he asked, and Wesley responded "no," Tan dropped the subject and let him do his own thing.  Too often, people will overcompensate for a disability and almost not believe the person who says "no," instead asking multiple times, only annoying the person being asked and making them feel like they should require more help.  Whenever asked to come into a room, the men always asked Wesley to "roll in" rather than "walk in", clearly being conscious of his wheelchair and adapting language to reflect that.  Lastly, throughout the whole episode, the Fab Five always talked to Wesley while sitting or standing, never bending over to talk to him, which can feel patronizing to a person in a wheelchair.

While there were so many great things about this episode, there were some areas in which it was lacking.  For example, Wesley's charity, "Disabled but not really," and aspects of its website hit a bit of a rough note with some disability advocates and bloggers.  Some thought that the "disabled but not really" thought had a negative undertone about disability.  This is because it makes it sound like having a disability is not a good thing, as some of these bloggers point out.  Also while the changes that Bobby made to the home in the episode are amazing, many are expensive and not affordable to families and people with disabilities.  At the end, Wesley had an event to show off his organization, yet there seemed to be no people with disabilities in attendance, at least there were no people with visible disabilities present, which considering the organization is all about disability, was a little disheartening in my opinion.

Overall, while this particular episode of Queer Eye had its flaws, I thought that its representation of disability was positive and one of a kind.  My hope is that other television shows and movies will follow suit and portray disability in a more accurate manner.  In addition, I hope that people who are not around disability and may not know that issues still exist in regards to accessability, watch this episode and have their eyes opened. Hopefully, all of us can do our part to help make society accessible.

Thanks so much for reading!