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| David Lee, the gay 'victim' on the Dec. 5 episode of TLC's 'What Not to Wear,' is shown here 'before' and 'after' his makeover. (Photos courtesy The Learning Channel) |
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HOME > SOVO SCENE > FEATURE
By: MIKE FLEMING
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MAYBE GAY PEOPLE are just more in tune with reinventing themselves and their
surroundings. Maybe there's something to the stereotypes that gay men can make
anything "a little more fabulous" and lesbians can "fix anything
with the right tool."
Whatever the reason, gay viewers are flocking to the genre of reality makeover
shows that restore, redesign and reinvent the looks of people and places.
Bravo's "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" is the most obvious example
of shows that are self-consciously gay. But most reality makeover series — The
Learning Channel offers some of the most popular with "Trading Spaces," "While
You Were Out" and "What Not to Wear" — are gay inclusive
with hosts, designers or subjects who are openly gay.
"There is a gay sensibility to makeovers that makes us a natural to be
on the shows and to watch the shows," says Clinton Kelly, a gay fashion
expert on TLC’s "What Not to Wear."
The show "ambushes" fashion victims — including two women
in Atlanta this weekend — who are nominated by friends and family for
the makeover. Producers secretly videotape subjects for two weeks, then move
in to surprise them with personalized tips on improving wardrobe, hair and
accessory choices. That's followed in each episode by a shopping spree and
a "reveal" sequence that puts the advice to practical use.
"It's fun to see people's reaction to how a few changes can change the
way they feel about themselves," Kelly says.
An episode airing Dec. 5 includes not only gay expert Kelly, but a gay "victim" as
well: stage actor David Lee, who just completed an extended run in the lead
role of "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" in Florida.
"At first, I was offended that they thought I was a fashion victim," Lee
says in a recent telephone interview from Orlando. "I wear cool clothes;
I still think my clothes are cool, but they took my surf shorts and flip flops
and my ripped up KISS shirts and showed me what could be done with my tastes."
Rather than making Lee look like someone he is not or leave him with an impossible
fashion standard, Kelly and his cohorts brought him to stores "that are
my style with more money," Lee says.
Lee got to keep "42 items from a wallet to a suit," and the show's
producers encouraged him to be open about his sexual orientation, he says.
"With the success of 'Queer Eye,' they were excited to have a gay person
on the show and I think had more fun with it," Lee says. "I was invited
to be as openly gay as I wanted to be."
On the secret tapes the show shot of Lee before he knew that "What Not
to Wear" targeted him, he described his "look" as "gay
surfer trash," and Lee appears in full drag as part of a segment on his "Hedwig" role.
And the show inadvertently comprised a test of how "out" Lee was,
he says.
"I had to tell my mother to warn my stepfather and their church members
that I am gay before the show airs," Lee says. "It was a great test
for me. Even though I consider myself totally out, it was very freeing to be
out on national television and realize I was OK with that."
FASHION COMES TO MIND when many viewers think of makeovers, especially when
it comes to gay sensibilities. But the cable shows with the biggest audiences
focus on themes of interior and garden design, another stereotypically gay
field of interest.
No one from TLC's most popular "Trading Spaces," including Atlanta
designer Vern Yip, would agree to interviews with Southern Voice.
But designer John Bruce is the newest gay addition to another popular TLC
show, "While You Were Out." (The show also features gay designer
Mark Montano.) Bruce says that their show, which works with partners and family
members to surprise someone with a redesigned room, appeals to a wide audience.
"Before I was part of 'While You Were Out,' I may have fallen into a
common misconception that gay people are more drawn to design," Bruce
says. "But I am constantly overwhelmed by the diversity of people that
are design savvy or interested in what we do.
"Aesthetics used to be relegated to people who are interested in culture,
detail and fashion, but it's become much more democratic and widespread," he
adds. "It's a cultural progression toward aesthetics, people realizing
that your environment affects the way you feel, and maybe gay people paved
the way for that in the past."
Bruce credits the mass appeal of design shows ...
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