The rise and fall of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy - page 2
by Joel Dossi, January 1, 2004

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But perhaps the most piercing criticism came from gay Massachusetts Congressman Barney Frank, who told the New York Post, “The notion that gay men have a superior fashion sense is not true and it’s damaging. It’s perfectly possible to enjoy that show and say, look at those clever homosexuals. What they do with hair! And not support gays at all.”

Upon hearing Frank’s comments, Allen joked, “And I used to like Barney Frank so much.” Then he added, “But I was really surprised and disappointed that Tom Shales didn’t get it. I was shocked.

“Having more than a passing interest in style, fashion and design has always been a huge part of gay culture.” Allen continued. “To suggest that it’s not true is just silly. But I guess the question of perpetuating stereotypes is a very valid question, and worthy of talking about.

“The thing is, that question misses what I believe is the best and most subversive aspect of Queer Eye. We take the skills which historically have been considered girly, sissy and gay, and use those skills to help the straight guy get the girl. These are skills that the straight guy has always secretly and desperately wanted to have. Straight men look to us admiringly and gratefully as we administer it to them in a totally positive, affirmative – if a little crazy – environment.”

When the Nielsen ratings for the show’s first episode came out, however, it was clear that the public’s response could only be described as “critics be damned.” They fell in love with The Fab 5.

The debut of Queer Eye on Bravo collected 1.6 million viewers. A couple of weeks later, NBC aired an edited down version of the program and garnered a whopping 6.9 million customers. Queer Eye was clearly an overnight sensation.

The show’s popularity soon branched out into product endorsements, book deals, a music video and spin-offs. NBC licensed Queer Eye to over 30 worldwide territories, including England, France, Finland, the Philippines and almost all of Latin America.

And of course, “all things kept gettin’ better,” for the advertisers that were included in the hard sell dished out on the show.

Entertainment syndicate Zap2it reported that The Fab 5 had a profound affect on the nation’s shopping habits. According to a retail industry poll, men were now 50% more likely to go shopping following a new episode of Queer Eye than on other days of the week.

Sales routinely soared for mentioned products after the hype of the show. For instance, Gannet News Service wrote that when a lighting sconce made by Illuminations was mentioned, sales rose 365%. And a settee that sold at the New York furniture store, Domain, racked up a record 300% boost in sales when the Fab 5 jokingly dubbed the combination chair and sofa a "chofa."

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