The Fab Five share advice on self-care, purpose, and personal growth that resonates beyond the screen.
Since its 2018 reboot, Netflix’s Queer Eye—originally a 2003 reality show—has inspired transformation, self-love, and connection among viewers around the world.
The show quickly gained a devoted following for its uplifting stories and ability to build bridges across cultures, backgrounds, and beliefs. It’s a celebration of authenticity, compassion, and progress.
Over seven seasons (and counting), Queer Eye continues to offer meaningful life lessons through the expertise of its five beloved hosts: food and wine expert Antoni Porowski, design expert Bobby Berk, fashion expert Tan France, culture expert Karamo Brown, and grooming expert Jonathan Van Ness.
Here are five nuggets of wisdom the Fab Five has taught its many fans about everyday life.
1. Skin and hair care are not gendered.
In the sixth episode of the show’s first season, the Fab Five goes to Atlanta, Georgia to help Remington, a young entrepreneur who inherited his grandmother’s home—along with its dated decor—and needs help trying to find his own style.
During a one-on-one with Jonathan, the conversation turns to grooming and the outdated idea that self-care is tied to gender. Jonathan gently dismantles this notion: “I want to show straight and gay men alike that self-care and grooming isn’t mutually exclusive with femininity or masculinity,” he said.
2. Cooking for one is also meaningful.
Neal, a 37-year-old programmer, plans to host a launch party for an app he developed and the Fab Five comes in to help during the show’s season 1, episode 2.
A loner who has built physical and emotional barriers to prevent people from getting too close, he joined Antoni in a restaurant to make a recipe for one that he can create for himself. The food and wine expert also teaches Neal about how cooking for one is actually just as meaningful as cooking for others. It means you can take care of yourself, even just by cooking simple meals.
“You thought it’s depressing to cook for one. My goal is to change your mind on that,” Antoni tells Neal. “You can take care in making something as easy as scrambled eggs, omelet, whatever it is. It’s just a matter of maintenance.”
3. Be free.
While Bobby often impresses with stunning home makeovers, one of his most moving moments came during an episode where he opened up about growing up gay in a conservative Christian family—mirroring the background of that episode’s subject.
Bobby shared how shame and rejection shaped his early years, but how breaking free of that mindset allowed him to grow. “I experienced the hate and the ignorance, and it was scary,” Bobby said. “I was definitely kind of an outcast. I had friends, but not close friends. I started realizing that what kind of made me different, and that I wasn’t like everyone else, was that I was gay.”
As he grew up, he realized that he wanted to break the cycle and how letting go of the past gives you more opportunities to progress in the future. “I started getting older and refusing to accept the chains that I had in my life, and I just wanted to be free,” he said.
4. Come out on your own terms.
A running theme in Queer Eye is learning to be your most true self. Fashion expert Tan France, who usually brings out the best styles for their chosen individual, encourages viewers to embrace their sexuality and their personal journey towards accepting it.
He adds that in the LGBTQ+ community, there is no deadline on when to come out, when to start your journey toward self-acceptance. “There’s no right or wrong way to be gay. No right or wrong way to come out. It’s your journey. Do it the way you want to do it,” he said.
5. Break your walls down.
You can change your style, you can change your hair, but you can’t really change yourself unless you work on it internally. This is what culture expert Karamo wants viewers to remember when the topic of having walls opened up during one episode of Queer Eye. “When people build up walls, they end up keeping other people out. But they’re also keeping themselves in,” Karamo advised.
Indeed, Queer Eye has given us a lot of words of wisdom to live by in its seven seasons. We cannot wait for what other lessons we can learn from the next seasons to come. Stay fab, Fab Five!
