August 20, 2003 - PCOL Exclusive: Queer Eye For The Straight RPCV
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August 20, 2003 - PCOL Exclusive: Queer Eye For The Straight RPCV
Queer Eye For The Straight RPCV
Read and comment on this email forwarded to us that the casting director for the TV show "Queer Eye For The Straight Guy" is looking for RPCVs in the Tri-State area to apply for an opportunity to be on the show.
Is this show just another example of American decadence signaling the coming of the Apocalypse? Does it promote demeaning cultural stereotypes of gay men or does it just illustrate that many gay men could teach a thing or two about fashion to straight men? And what about RPCVs - will the show stereotype them as uber-nerds and geeks with no fashion sense? Should RPCVs organize a boycott of the show's sponsors? Is this any worse than the memo sent out last year from the Peace Corps Press Office (below) asking for two Peace Corps workers to get married on "Good Morning, America?" Keep your sense of humor and tell us what you think. Read the story at:
Queer Eye For The Straight Guy*
* This link was active on the date it was posted. PCOL is not responsible for broken links which may have changed.
Queer Eye For The Straight Guy
Familiar with the Bravo Hit Reality Show, "Queer Eye For The Straight Guy"?! They are the Fab 5: an elite team of gay men who have dedicated their lives to extolling the simple virtues of style, taste and class. Each week their mission is to transform a style-deficient and culture-deprived straight man (or WOMAN too in this case!) from drab to fab in each of their respective categories: fashion, food and wine, interior design, grooming and culture.
"Queer Eye" wants RPCVs in the Tri-State area to apply for this unique opportunity to be on the show!! They are considering both MALE and FEMALE applicants!! All applicants should have a big event within the next 5 months that they would like to have an image boost for (a wedding, a marriage proposal, a job opportunity, or as all recent returned volunteers know........a re-adjustment to American culture!) More information about the show can be viewed on www.bravotv.com. The application for the show follows the body of this email.
Feel free to contact Randi Molo, Casting Assistant, with any questions, concerns, or suggestions.
Randi Mollo
Casting Assistant
"Queer Eye for the Straight Guy"
(617) 424-6805
With the right attitude, this opportunity could be a ton of fun for RPCVs!!! Get out your pens and apply today!!!
QUEER EYE FOR THE STRAIGHT GUY PRELIMINARY CANDIDATE QUESTIONNAIRE
If you are a straight man over the age of 18 who lives in the NYC metropolitan area and has an important "life event" coming up (like a marriage proposal, meeting the in-laws for the first time, an anniversary, an important dinner party, an opportunity to get back together with an old girlfriend or anything similar), you may be a candidate for Bravo¹s reality series "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" in which a team of five gay men (the "Fab Five") -- experts in fashion, interior design, food, grooming and culture -- make over a straight man.
If you¹d like to be considered as a candidate, please print and complete the following preliminary questionnaire and return it with a recent digital photo to the show¹s production company, by email at info@thequeereye.com.
Here are a few final things for you to keep in mind as you complete the questionnaire: Please answer all questions truthfully. Sending in a completed questionnaire does not in any way guarantee that you will be on the show. And remember that you must live in the NYC metropolitan area -- we hope to be looking for straight guys in other areas soon.
Also, by submitting this application, you agree that the production company may contact you and that we may share this information with Bravo and other people involved with the production of the show.
Name: Age: Height: Weight: Occupation: Marital Status: Home Address: How far is your home, in miles, from Mid-town Manhattan? Work address: Phone: Cell: Email:
1. Do you live in a house or an apartment?
Rent or own?
Are you in a co-op building or a condo?
Is there an elevator in your building? A freight elevator?
2. How big is your living space? (Studio? One Bedroom? 7 room house?)
3. Would you say, in general, your living space is: a. A complete mess b. okay but no real style c. Well decorated byme d. Well decorated by my wife/girlfriend d. Other: (please describe)
4. What is your favorite piece of furniture in your home?
5. What would you call the "crown jewel" of your wardrobe?
6. Describe your morning routine "getting ready for work":
7. What¹s in your fridge and cabinets?
8. What is your favorite dish to prepare? What's your favorite drink?
9. What is your favorite thing to do for a night out with friends?
10. What is your favorite thing to do for a night out with a date?
11. What is your flexibility with shooting 3 days in one workweek? (You would need to take these days off work)
12. Do you have family and friends in the area? What would they say about your personal style?
13. Have you ever appeared on TV before or taken part in another reality show? If so, please describe the show and the dates when you appeared.
And, finally, the most important question:
14. What big event do you have coming up in the NYC area in next 5 months that could be part of our show? WHY do you need a make-over for it? (Please go into detail dates, times, who will be there, what you would like to accomplish)
The Queer Eye Casting Staff
617-424-6805
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'Queer Eye For the Straight Guy' offers witty fashion advice
Read and comment on this story from the Seattle Post Intelligencer on the televison show "Queer Eye For the Straight Guy" at:
'Queer Eye For the Straight Guy' offers witty fashion advice*
* This link was active on the date it was posted. PCOL is not responsible for broken links which may have changed.
'Queer Eye For the Straight Guy' offers witty fashion advice
By MELANIE McFARLAND
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER
To be painfully honest, most men are slobs. Smelly, hairy, crusty boars in desperate need of fashion sense, a shave, a haircut and cologne that doesn't make their loved ones cry.
You know this, and so does the quintet of gay experts in Bravo's "Queer Eye For the Straight Guy."
Each week the Fab Five have 24 hours to turn a sloppy zero into a style-savvy hero on all fronts, from grooming skills and an updated wardrobe, to amped up interior decoration and better taste in cuisine.
But these guys don't use brutality to whip their victims into shape. "We just become friends," explained Jai Rodriguez, the team's "culture vulture." "I love that, finding things in common…It's overwhelming. I wish they could show more of the interaction off camera. We've had guys well up."
Yes, "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" is heartwarming and witty. We encourage you to plop down and watch the show with your favorite fashion criminal -- perhaps it'll help him mend his ways.
And to help convince you, we pulled three of them aside in Hollywood at the Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour for a little dish.
One of the things we hear a lot of complaints about is on TV shows like "Will & Grace," being gay is mentioned. But you never actually see --
Jai: Will doesn't get kissed! He lives in New York and he ain't got no ethnic friends! I'm mad, I'm calling, and I want to be on the show! (laughter) No, a lot of those things bug me. But it's baby steps. I think we're at a really good time…these are the times where we're trying to all be one. We all have gay friends. I have a lot of straight friends. And something automatically changes when they put that on TV…
You know, it's up to you whether you decide to turn on that television set and tune in at 10 p.m. on a Tuesday night to watch the show. We all try to have a good time, and nothing's ever inappropriate.
Why are men so helpless?
Jai: Once you get a certain pattern in your life, you get comfortable and you're used to doing things, you don't want to change it and step out of your comfort zone…Things tend to build up. It's like that nasty pile of things in the corner of your room. The socks are dancing with your T-shirts, the knits have joined in the party and you're scared to go there. The minute people take hold of their lives and say, ‘I need a change, I need to start pacing my life a little differently,' is when they're open to actually trying new things and giving themselves a better lifestyle.
That's actually kind of a social commentary on the show itself, that this is a show that takes straight men out of their comfort zones.
Jai: We're all different. There's a little bit of every kind of gay guy represented on the show, thank god… Like, I like all kinds of music, I'm in touch with the hip-hop culture scene. My world is very cultural as far as, like having a lot of interests…Thom (Filicia, design doctor) will always walk in, I know his mission is to make the space amazing…Carson (Kressley, fashion savant) is so crazy and over the top.
What are some rules that people shouldn't break?
Kyan Douglas, grooming guru: No nose hair. Ever. You'd be surprised at all the little twigs sticking out. I just can't get it. How can you see that and not just want to hack it off?
Carson: It happens. It happens.
Kyan: I think a lot of the time, with the guys, there's just not an awareness of details. Women tend to notice details more. I think that in the way straight men are raised, those sorts of things aren't supported or encouraged.
Do you think that's a generational thing? It seemed like there used to be much more passing down of grooming skills.
Carson: It's even with clothing. I ask guys today, who do you want to look like? Who inspires you? Did your father teach you how to tie a tie, did he teach you how to shave? Did he teach you what a good quality suit was? Depending on what his style was - and it doesn't matter, you didn't have to embrace it - but, did you have any influences? With a lot of guys, the answer's no. Because we've become so casual, and we all have cell phones, and we can work at home. That whole kind of cell phone generation, we don't get dressed up….Just find someone who is visible, who you like to identify with, and that maybe will give you some ideas. And give it a try. Have fun with it.
I think guys do have role models. They just tend to be badly dressed role models. The whole starter suit thing tore across the country, and people can't let go of that low-slung pants thing.
Carson: That's true. Find a role model, but make sure it's a good one. Words to live by.
March 27, 2002 - Peace Corps Looking for Love
Read and comment on this message that was forwarded to us from one of the District Offices of the US Peace Corps on March 27, 2002. If you know anyone who fits this profile, give PC a call at:
Peace Corps Looking for Love*
* This link was active on the date it was posted. PCOL is not responsible for broken links which may have changed.
Peace Corps Looking for Love
Good Morning America is looking for the all-time greatest love story for a segment on their show titled "Love in Times Square." Best case scenario would be two Peace Corps workers who served years ago and who have recently found each other and want to be married. It could also be two people who have a Peace Corps connection and want to be married.
GMA will pay for and produce the wedding ceremony in Times Square on May 17th and supply the honeymoon trip. It is required that the participants be at least 18 years old. Does anyone have any ideas??
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This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; Gay Issues; Fashion; Humor
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By Toungeincheek on Tuesday, September 09, 2003 - 6:35 pm: Edit Post |
Hate to say it, but most RPCVs are too friggin' earthy and granola to function in big cities. Do you go clubbing in your tennis shoes? Do you believe that bad-looking scruff (men) or hairy legs (women) can be ways to express your 'style'? Do you pine away the nights remembering how your nasty self was attractive to host country nationals? Well, shape up. Buy a copy of GQ or Cosmo and learn something you fool. Good taste and fashion does not necessarily equate to being superficial and materialistic. I hope these gay men put some sense into a RPCV crowd, male and female alike.
By ted204 on Wednesday, September 10, 2003 - 12:03 am: Edit Post |
This strikes me as a bad for the show. Lots of Peace Corps volunteers are devoted to slobbiness at an ideological level. Many volunteers and those like them are leading the Franco-Cuban-1920's-bohemiam-rhapsody because it's part of a larger belief structure. The structure centers on the idea that more better stuff isn't always the answer.
I'm a fan of the show because it's good entertainment - it's like a mini Rocky movie every time, except five gay men take the place of the old curmudgeonly trainer. But I don't think the show's central themes are in line with those of the Peace Corps'.
Perhaps a better concept would be to send the Fab Five to a Peace Corps volunteers' post. I know when I was in Niger, I could've used a lot of cultural advice and benefited from that component of the show. Perhaps the fashion advice would have shown me how to tastefully patch the holes in my clothes. Cooking could have taught how to make even better rice and beens, or perhaps we could have done improved demonstrations to the women in the village so they could make more nutritious meals. The decorating component might have shown me how to keep the mosquitoes away, or how to display pictures of home in Oregon without the images being eaten by ants.
I think the Fab Five have more to learn from Peace Corps volunteers than volunteers do from the Fab Five.