Why "The Fab Five" Are The Most Special Men on Netflix

Melissa

I'm sure if you're reading this article, you're a fan of "The Fab Five," much like myself. You know just how funny, creative, proud, fierce and FABULOUS these guys are. I needn't tell you that, however, I will tell you why (in my opinion) they are the most special men on Netflix!

Who is your personal favourite guy and why? 

Let's start with my personal favourite, Tan "Tanny" France. He was born Tanveer Wasim Safdar, in a Muslim household in the United Kingdom. Tan is a British Pakistani, gay man. That sentence alone; there's so much power to show the adversity Tanny has gone through to be where he is today. From what I've seen in the media and from what I've been told, being a man of colour alone is enough of a challenge in a predominantly white society in Brittain, but he's also gay, which is frowned upon by his family's religion, as well as many of Britain. Needless to say, it takes the courage of a thousand people to do what Tan has done; coming from the UK to America as a British Pakistani gay man in the fashion industry to become part of "The Fab Five" and star in a show on Netflix. I bet all the kids that bullied him in high-school are wishing they stayed friends with Tan so he could have taught them some class.

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My fellow Canadian, Antoni Porowski, is the food and wine master of "The Fab Five" and honestly, Netflix couldn't have chosen a better fit for this part. Antoni grew up in Montreal, Quebec with Polish immigrant parents, speaking three languages as a kid and learning how to cook by watching the way his grandmother would do things in the kitchen. I'm a big fan of self-taught skills and Antoni is literally a self-made man. He built his career from the ground up, coming from immigrant parents who could quite possibly have been very strict when he was growing up. Antoni mentions his dad briefly in Queer Eye but based on the way he speaks of his father, I'm assuming they don't have the best relationship. I, personally, respect Antoni a lot because whenever he cooks he does it with passion and honesty. That's an important thing to have and seems to be diminishing in society. People these days appear to be valuing their financial welfare more than their own happiness which is so sad. It's refreshing to see Antoni do what he loves and really express how much he loves it. We could really learn a thing or two from our Polish Pal.

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Bobby Berk, everybody. A success story behind his name. Bobby was adopted and grew up in Texas. He cites that "being gay and attending church throughout his childhood was difficult," and he felt internal and external homophobia as a kid. He left home at 15 years old, ending up in Missouri sleeping in his car and working at Applebee's. In 2003 he went to the Big Apple with only $100. A few years went by and after working at Bed, Bath and Beyond he found himself interning with an interior designer. This landed him the gig on Queer Eye. When I first heard Bobby's story I was genuinely speechless because it's just so amazing that someone can be kicked down so far and still find the flame inside that keeps their internal fire burning, and push themselves to get up again. He obviously had a really bad experience with the Church, and that's not his fault, that's theirs because they shouldn't be preaching hate and homophobia. They should be preaching love, acceptance, and non-judgment because the church was always intended to be a safe space for people to feel welcome. Bobby didn't have a welcoming experience with the church. I can assure you that not every church is like this. I guess it's true when people say the more difficult the conflict the more glorious the triumph.

Were any of you adopted?

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Mr. Swaggy-Pants, Karamo Brown is up next. Karamo is a Black-American man, needless to say, he's experienced his share of racism and violence. The police in America are more ruthless than those in Canada. I don't know what it would be like to potentially be gunned down in the middle of the street just because of how I looked. I'm very lucky to be a white woman, so I've never had to deal with the issue of racism. Karamo spoke to a white police officer in one episode of Queer Eye and they seemed to be on the same page about police officers being too violent in America. This was one of my favourite episodes. Karamo also mentioned his son is afraid to get his driver's licence because he doesn't want to be harassed by a police officer. It's sad that our world has come to this. The people who are supposed to serve and protect are the ones attacking. Luckily, Karamo is doing a fantastic job as a great advocate for "Never Again MSD, - an organization to stop gun violence. He's on a journey of social justice, always with a smile on his face.

Do you guys have a favourite episode?

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Queen Johnathan Van Ness! Honestly just seeing Johnathan strutting around in his fabulous five-inch heels, flipping his hair around, makes me happy knowing that he is comfortable in his own skin, not caring what others around him may think or say. I wish I could do that and have the confidence that Johnathan does. Imagine if everyone had that confidence. We'd get so much s*it done that way. He is the perfect mix of funny, gorgeous, glamorous, helpful, talented, confident, emotional, understanding, and so many adjectives, I can't even think of because he's just that great, I'm at a loss for words. In every episode, he never fails to give a fantastic makeover but also give that person a bit of his confidence to wear their hair or clothes with pride, like he always does. I've learned a lot from him. Basically just live the best you can for yourself, whatever that may be, because life isn't forever and we've got to enjoy it before we can't anymore. He's actually one of the reasons I wanted to become a hairdresser; so I could hopefully radiate the same positivity he does and make a difference, even if it is minuscule. I'd love it if he could give me a new hairstyle. If you guys could have the Fab Five help you improve one thing, what would it be?

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So that's why "The Fab Five" Are The Most Special Men on Netflix," according to me. I hope y'all enjoyed this addition to the FanHouse, and please don't hesitate to comment. Let's have a good conversation about the Fab Five, or if you want, private message me and we'll talk about any other fandoms that y'all could be interested in! Have a fantastic day everyone.

~Melissa xoxo